VETERANS severely injured while serving in the forces are to take on a 465-mile Canadian kayak this September.

Members of the New Milton-based Pilgrim Bandits took to the water at Rockley Park on Saturday for their final training session.

Next month, the team will aim to be the first amputees to kayak the Yukon River, a swiftly-flowing waterway covering a total of 1,980 miles from British Colombia to Alaska.

It is just the latest challenge for representatives of Pilgrim Bandits, which was set up by a small group of Special Forces veterans in 2007 with the aim of inspiring wounded servicemen and women to live life to the full.

CEO Steve Beard said: “This is our toughest expedition yet.

“The Yukon is one of the fastest-flowing rivers in the world. If you capsize, you are potentially going to be swept a mile away from the expedition in just seconds. It’s cold, desolate and there are added risks of brown and grizzly bears and moose.

“Our lads have had to go through a really tough selection test for this expedition – being physically able is only part of the criteria. They also have to be mentally tough and able to work as part of a tight-knit team. That applies to carers too. We don’t rule out lads because they need a carer, like most military charities, but the carer has to qualify in their own right too.

“At one point on the expedition we’ll be more than 100 miles from a road or any kind of transport connection.”

Injured veterans taking part include Lance Bombadier Ben Parkinson MBE, of the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

The 30-year-old is one of the most severely injured servicemen to survive the Afghan conflict, suffering more than 40 serious wounds, including the loss of both legs above the knee and a severe brain injury.

He defied doctors to survive, walk and talk again.

Former Royal Marine Corporal, Vincent Manley, now based in Devon, was injured in Iraq in 2006, and both of his legs were amputated.

The 45-year-old said: “I’ve been doing a lot of training for this, so I’m feeling ready to get going now.

“We’ve done some good training with Pilgrim Bandits and I’ve done a lot by myself too down the gym. We have have been building up to this for some time.”