SEVERAL stars of the PDC got their hands on the Olympic Torch at the Players Championship in Crawley on Sunday.
The Olympic Torch was brought to Crawley by injured soldier Jamie Cooper, who was recognised recently not only for his amazing recovery to injuries suffered in Iraq in 2006 but also for his charity work.
The 23-year-old was one of the Olympic Torchbearers through Bristol in May and took his Torch to Sunday's tournament, where World Champion Adrian Lewis, Steve Beaton, Steve Brown, Devon Petersen and Dennis Smith were amongst players to have their picture taken with the iconic piece of memorabilia.
Cooper was the youngster soldier to be injured in Iraq when he was caught in a double mortar blast, and during a two-year stay in hospital he confounded medical experts who had said he would never walk again.
As part of his work for the 'Help For Heroes' charity, he has linked up with Steve Brown to arrange a special exhibition night on August 10 at the Royal British Legion in Kingswood, Bristol, which will also feature PDC walk-on girl Nicola Cowell.
"Jamie's a huge inspiration to me and hopefully the night can raise plenty of money for 'Help For Heroes'," said Brown.
"I've been having a hard time with my game at the moment but seeing what Jamie has had to struggle against in the last five years puts it all into perspective for me."
Brown added: "It was great for me to take him to Crawley to see the Players Championships last weekend and he brought along his Olympic Torch, which was a nice talking point for some of the players."
Cooper was treated as part of his recovery at the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre, which has been visited by a host of leading PDC players - including World Champion Lewis - in recent years.
Adrian Lewis with Jamie Cooper
Devon Petersen
Jamie Caven
Dennis Smith