A VISUALLY-impaired athlete from Trowbridge has been chosen to compete in the Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia, as part of the 72-strong UK squad.

Kelly Ganfield, 37, of Bridge Avenue, was invalided out of the British Army in 2005 after being diagnosed with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS).

APS is a rare blood and autoimmune disorder that mainly affects women and may cause blood clots, rashes, headaches and miscarriages.

Kelly said: “I suffered two strokes and these caused a loss of vision. It’s like a pinhole in both eyes and I have no peripheral vision.

“I also have Reynaud’s Disease, which causes poor circulation, and have suffered from epilepsy.”

Kelly was born and brought up in Plymouth as the eldest of five children and also has a half-sister.

She joined the Army in 1998 at the age of 18 and served for only five years before being forced to leave because of ill health.

The former Army Corporal has since turned to athletics to keep fit, and is competing in the 100m, 200m, long jump and indoor rowing at the 2018 Invictus Games for wounded warriors from October 20-27 in Sydney.

“My biggest inspiration is our daughter, Bethany, who will be three on June 16,” said Kelly, who is married to Sarah Ganfield.

“She was born with cerebral palsy and I want her to realise that you can achieve anything in life if you put your mind to it.”

Kelly will fly out on October 14 with the UK squad to take part in the games. She is the only female athlete in the long jump who is registered visually-impaired.

She says: “I was always sporty at school in Plymouth. I ran all the distances up to 1500 metres, as well as cross country and hurdles. I am very proud to be representing my country.

“I will be looking to get a personal best in both my running events.”

“I also played football for the British Army, including five-a-side and full 11-a-side matches, and the Devon Lions gay-friendly local football team.”

Kelly has run marathons and half-marathons. She ran the London Marathon in 2015 for the Blind Veterans UK charity.

At the Invictus Games, Kelly will compete with her Birmingham-based running ‘guide’ Mikail Huggins, who ran with Libby Clegg at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, breaking the European record in the T12 100m final.

The UK squad are being sponsored by Land Rover/Jaguar in Sydney. The squad also receives support from the Royal British Legion, SuperDry and the Salisbury-based charity, Help for Heroes.

Kelly trains at the University of Bath. In the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, she finished fourth in the 100m and 200m and came within two pulls of gold in the indoor rowing.

She also takes part in 5km park runs at the weekends, with help from the Avon Valley Runners. “They’re a great help to me and some of them have trained up to run with me.”

Kelly moved from Plymouth to Trowbridge to be closer to Sarah’s parents, who are retired.

“My partner is extremely proud of what I have achieved, as are her mum and dad. They came out to Canada last year to encourage me and to watch me compete.

“It’s great to know that I am representing my country because coming out of the British forces the way I did was not how I wanted to leave.”