A FORMER military policeman who had to have both legs amputated when he was targeted by an IRA bomb outside his Colchester home is part of a choir who performed at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games

Andy Mudd, 59, who also lost two fingers in the blast outside his Aisne Road home in 1989, is part of a group of former soldiers who formed the Invictus Choir under the stewardship of television singing guru Gareth Malone.

After some intensive vocal training sessions the group performed at the opening ceremony of the event for wounded former soldiers organised by Prince Harry with the support of Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

Their story is being documented in a series of BBC television programmes and Mr Mudd said he loved the experience.

He said: "I was in a church choir as a teenager and had piano lessons at school but when I joined the army there was no singing there, so when I heard about it I thought it would be a cheeky challenge.

"My daughter Katy filmed me singing and sent it off to the production team and they were interested and I did some more singing.

"Commitment was a big thing for them and you had to make sure you were available for all the sessions with the aim of the game to get a choir together in May.

"It was frightening to go out there and bear your soul, talk about my injuries which happened more than 20 years ago and sing at the same time."

Mr Mudd, who now lives in Cawood, North Yorkshire, added: "There was nothing like the Invictus Games when I was injured and the ethos of the games is wonderful.

"I met Prince Harry in Florida and he was great, he reminds me a lot of his mother.

"There are a lot of people who do not like sport and for Gareth Malone to come up with the idea of recovering through singing is genius.

"Some of the people will go on to sing as part of a choir but for me it will probably finish with the three-and-a-half minutes in front of that crowd."