Mark Tonner on his 2021 to date... ( 9/11/21 )

I’ve not stopped training and competing since June starting with the Sterling games where I walk away with 3 world records.

Then in August it was Britain’s strongest disabled man where I came 1st and also was told I was the world’s strongest disabled man 2020 so that was a good day.

I was then invited to the first Arnold’s classic in England in September where came 2nd.

And now I’m in Iceland waiting to compete in the world’s strongest disabled man 2021. This year has been so good for me training hard every looking forward to the next competition and with this being my last one of the am ready to give it all I’ve got.

Couldn’t thank the wounded highlanders enough for all the support they have given me over the last 2 years helping me move forward and proving them wrong. I live by MIND OVER BODY and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

TBC

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I'm Dave Williams

( 9/11/21 )

I joined the British Army as a Royal Engineer Reserve in 2007, served on OP HERRICK 12 in 2010, and went regular service 2013 to 2018.  Although I'd been pretty good at working with my condition, I didn't know I was born with Asperger's until 2017 when it started to affect my ability to do my job and I got assessed, which resulted in my medical discharge. 

My leaving of the Army was unexpected and was a real shock.  In my time in service is competed in both the Army Power-lifting and Army Strongman circuits but I'd always wanted to give the Highland Games a go.  Finding out that 2018 was to be the first year Help For Heroes would be putting forward a team I had to get onboard.

The Highland Games was at Mey Castle Showground near John-O-Groats and it was awesome.  Unfortunately the H4H budget was too stretched to support entering one event per year so Jim Holborn stepped up and established The Wounded Highlanders team and I've been loving that ever since

Aside from the Ganges it's been a wild few years.  In 2020 I was scheduled to move abroad to Australia to marry an Australian veteran.  Obviously COVID happened having me return to them fight an 18 month rolling battle with Australian Immigration, only to get dumped by my now ex-fiancée, but not before selling everything (in a buyer's market) and finally getting accepted by immigration.  This tore me apart and if I'm honest I'm still getting my head around it, but I found work on a local farm and a tourism centre.  Through new links made at work I found SUP Stu, who runs a stand up paddle board club and was looking for some entertainment for his upcoming social event.  I mentioned I knew how to fire-breathe and he gave me a go

At the social I put on a show and it all went way better than expected.  I remembered how much I loved performing with fire.  Fire performance is something is done back in college way before joining the Army.  Something came back to life in me at that moment and I decided to take the fire to the next level.  I trained with Fire walk UK and qualified as a Fire walking instructor, created Ddraig Tribe, my fire performance company, and we've now done multiple live shows, fine local advertising work and have even been involved in a TV production

I've got no idea where this is headed, but I'm loving where I'm at and I truly believe in the power of fire as an elemental force that can be used not just for entertainment, but for coaching, healing and personal development