Daniel Biddle

Daniel Biddle is the worst injured survivor of the July 7th terror attacks in London 2005. At the age of 26, Daniel was a fit and healthy East End lad, his job was in the construction field as a Projects Manager. Daniel was incredibly high on life when he wanted involvement in the construction of the 2012 Olympics site after hearing the news that London won the bid. Daniel was standing right next to a suicide bomber on the ill-fated tube that had just left Edgware Road station. Daniel has a full recollection from the moment the bomb went off to the aftermath being trapped in the tunnel to the moment he was sedated in hospital. He has seen, heard, smelt and tasted things that you could not possibly imagine.

As a result of the bombing, Daniel has lost both legs and is confined to a wheelchair, he lost an eye, spleen and had a whole catalogue of other life-threatening injuries. On the day of the bombing he died three times and ended up having his chest cut open and a surgeon manually pumping his heart. The tragic event changed Daniel's life as he knew it. He was unable to do his previous job. However, Daniel began to try and turn things around, becoming a qualified Access Consultant through the NRAC. After leaving the hospital, he very quickly became aware that the world as he knew it was not geared up for a disabled person. He found a passion for wanting to make a change. Unfortunately, not all has been plain sailing since the bombing. With a lack of support, Daniel bottled up years of torment. Suffered nightmares every night, flashbacks, always on a heightened sense of alert thinking something bad was going to happen.

In 2013, enough was enough for him and he tried to end his life on three separate occasions. After the third, he confided in his girlfriend who hadn’t been with him for very long and had no idea what PTSD was all about - but she didn’t back away. She got Daniel the help that he so desperately needed and stuck by his side through his treatment.

In 2014, they set up a company Nationwide Access Consultants Ltd working with some top brands, dealing with accessibility and inclusion issues. He’s become an advocate for Gwent Police, giving training to new recruits around disability awareness and hate crime. Daniel also sits on the Independent Advisory Group for the police and his remit is disability hate crime. In 2015, he married the love of his life. Daniel constantly demonstrates that despite horrendous things happening to a person, it does not have to be the end. It does not mean that you have to say goodbye to your hopes, dreams and aspirations!