Matt King OBE carried the Olympic Torch through Dunstable in his home county of Bedfordshire today (Monday July 9) supported by over 50 friends, family and members of the local community including some of his former team mates at London Broncos.

Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer the inspirational former Rugby League player on as the torch passed along Dunstable High Street.

Matt King said: "It was a thrill and great honour for me to carry the Olympic Torch and I feel very proud to be part of the Olympic celebrations."

King was seriously injured two weeks after his 17th birthday playing for London Broncos Academy team in 2004. He has a complete paralysis below the neck level, is unable to breathe independently and is totally reliant on a ventilator.

He went back to school, achieving A levels at A grades and went on to the University of Hertfordshire where he gained a first class honours degree in law. Matt continues to act as an ambassador for Stoke Mandeville Hospital and for the Royal Variety Club of Great Britain and is now employed as a solicitor in London.

Since his injury Matt King has painted a number of Christmas cards using just a mouth stick to raise money for the RFL Benevolent Fund which supports players whose lives are affected by serious injuries sustained while playing
For more information on the RFL Benevolent Fund visit: http://www.rflbenevolentfund.co.uk/