RIFLEMAN Craig Wood lost both legs and one arm when he was blown up in Afghanistan.

Chris Parkes lost one leg, and ‘died’ once before being resuscitated.

When he was blown up, Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson suffered the worst injuries of any survivor at that time.

Where do the lives of these fit young men go from there?

What happens after the hospital care, after the parades, after the medals, when it’s back to the real world?

All these men, and many more seriously injured soldiers, have been helped by an Echo-backed New Forest charity founded by Special Forces veterans.

The Pilgrim Bandits have a unique ethos – don’t expect any sympathy, get active, and get helping others.

Rifleman Chris Parkes, 23, from County Durham, lost his left leg while serving with 3 Rifles in 2010, only four weeks after arriving as a casualty replacement.

“I ‘died’ once – I was in a pretty bad way,” he told the Echo.

“My section got me back to Camp Bastion and I spent a couple of weeks in intensive care.”

When he first came back to the UK, he was in a wheelchair, pretty much paralysed by the injuries and the drugs.

“It was a nightmare,” he said.

“That’s when I realised I wasn’t going to get any better. I thought, ‘is this the way it’s going to be for the next 70, 80 years?’”

He started getting active again and came into contact with one of Bandit’s founders.

They met him skiing in Colorado and took him sky diving at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire.

“They look after you, but it’s not about feeling sorry for yourself,” said Chris.

“It’s about getting guys out there doing stuff.”

One of the next ‘bits of stuff’ he’s going to do? Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Bandits were formed by a core of ex-special forces friends.

Patrons include John Sandford-Hart, a former soldier from Mudeford, who lost a leg in a powerboat accident, who has done numerous, record-breaking fundraising challenges.

One of the trustees Adam, from near New Milton, said: “Once the lads get their confidence back, many go on to achieve more than they would have done before the injury, it’s all about pushing the boundaries, always going that little bit further.”

The charity network is also spreading across the country.

One member, a former SAS major originally from Bournemouth, recently held a fundraiser at his Midlands nightclub.

One of the guests was Craig Wood, from Doncaster, now aged 20, who suffered his terrible injuries in 2009 while on patrol with 2 Rifles in the notorious town of Sangin.

He has been working with the Bandits for about five months – he’s been flying with them and done a parachute jump, and he’s going white water rafting in Norway with them.

“It’s been really good and well thought out. I met Duncan Bannatyne with them at the sky dive in April – he’s a nice bloke.”

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson’s vehicle was destroyed by a Taliban landmine in 2006. Both his legs were blown off and he suffered fractures to his skull. The Doncaster man became a patron of the Bandits and is a regular at their fundraisers and away days.

He told the Echo: “Other charities say they can’t take me on because of the head injury.

“The Bandits have never said that. All they say is ‘we don’t do sympathy so get your legs on and start walking.’”

• The Bandits have many more fundraisers, charity balls, and challenges coming, and always need volunteers, donors and participants.

Visit www.pilgrimbandits.com for more details.