Olympic flame honour for amputee, 23

A positive outlook following a life-changing injury has led to a former Claires Court schoolboy from Maidenhead being picked to carry the Olympic torch.

Ben Payne was nominated for the honour by his mum because of his determined recovery from an accident which saw him lose his lower left leg aged 17.

Now 23, he was thrilled to receive the news last week and said he felt very privileged to have been chosen by Olympic bosses.

Ben's accident happened just before the Christmas holidays five years ago, when he was hit by a lorry while crossing a road on his way back to college in Guildford.

The Birdwood Road resident was rushed to hospital where doctors were forced to amputate part of his leg. But he was out in time for Christmas Day and returned to college after the holidays determined to carry on as normal.

Ben said he realised there were two ways of dealing with an injury like his - to let it get him down or to be positive and carry on.

Working for audio visual equipment hire firm SFL Group in Woodley means Ben is up and down ladders and completing physical work all the time. People often have no idea about his leg.

He is now waiting to find out where he will feature on the torch's route.

Other confirmed torch-bearers are Paul Bennett and Dominic John.

Paul, a service manager at Sytner Maidenhead, and his wife Sherrie fundraise in memory of their son Declan, who died in 2010 aged four from a rare blood disorder.

Dominic, from Bourne End, is a sports fan who helps get funding for hard-up athletes.