136 Company SW London Army Cadet Force Bring It Home For Christmas!
By Walking With The Wounded on
136 Company, SW London Army Cadet Force are no strangers to Walking Home For Christmas, having done the event for three years and this year was the best yet! Ably led by Colour Sgt. Joe Cox, 62 cadets in 3 different detachments walked across the bridges of London, with the furthest walk being 17 miles, to the Tower of London where they were piped in by the tower band and given a tour. Accompanied by their adult instructors and a couple of serving Grenadiers, the cadets flew the flag (literally) for Walking With The Wounded around some of the capital's most famous landmarks. With over 2,700 raised we're so proud of them and their achievements and cant wait to see them next year! You can still support them here:...
Sale Sharks, Sharks Forces Are Walking Home For Christmas
By Walking With The Wounded on
Shark Forces work with over 100 veterans annually, running coffee mornings, welfare walks, art therapy workshops, physical activity sessions and online webinars to help with life after service and this December they are also taking on their own Walking Home For Christmas challenge.
Next week, Shark Forces very own, Eddie Owen & Merrall Stanworth will be walking 13.5 miles, visiting the war memorials across Eccles, Stretford, Sale & Urmston in a bid to raise vital awareness & funds for our Walking Home For Christmas campaign and ultimately our Armed Forces Community.
Having already raised over 300, the team couldn't be doing better at drumming up the local support.
Find out more about what Sale Sharks do at ...
Andrew Schofield. London to Manchester.
By Walking With The Wounded on
When it comes to managing our mental health, we’re told ‘it’s good to talk’. An overused cliché or sound advice? A chance conversation with his brother saved the life of young military veteran, Andrew Schofield from Manchester. The conversation lifted him out of a dark depression and motivated him to seek support for his declining mental health. Now Andrew is taking on the challenge of his life, walking from London to Manchester in just five days to raise money for Walking Home For Christmas, the annual Christmas campaign from Walking With the Wounded, a charity that supports veterans like him, in what he describes as ‘a physical representation of a mental health journey’. Walking solo and carrying his own kit, Andy will sleep out on...
Walking Home For Christmas Survey Results In!
By Walking With The Wounded on
Have we lost our love of lockdown walking?
Fewer than 1 in 3 of us walk everyday in winter
A new survey finds that fewer than 1 in 3 (29%) of the UK adult population walk every day in winter – and astonishingly 10% never go for a walk. The research, from Walking Home For Christmas, the annual Christmas fundraising campaign run by military veteran support charity, Walking With The Wounded, also found that 84% of us watch TV at Christmas, compared to 63% who go for that traditional walk after dinner.
But when it comes to improving health and wellbeing, 68% would consider trying to go on a regular walk - compared to 1 in 10 (11%) interested in group fitness classes and 1 in 5 (22%) who would think about joining a gym.
Walking really is the...
Be inspired by Shaun's story
By Walking With The Wounded on
Hear from Shaun, as he shares his story of how he worked with WWTW to turn his life around and how he now invites all of us to help reignite another veteran's sense of purpose this Christmas.
Carly’s story
By Walking With The Wounded on
Carly joined the Army in June 2012. When the initial 14-16 weeks of basic training commenced Carly immediately began to experience symptoms of anxiety, feeling panicky. When the PT session came round Carly recollects standing in the ablutions in floods of tears brought on by the mere thought of the obstacle course. Eventually Carly was discharged from the Army in September 2013, just 15 months after joining. In 2015 Carly suffered a breakdown and sought treatment through her GP. In August 2017 Carly met with an Employment Adviser from Walking With The Wounded who Carly refers to as "brilliant from day one". After initial successes, In January 2018 Carly began to once again experience feelings of anxiety and self-doubt and...
Paul's story
By Walking With The Wounded on
Paul served for 23 years in the RAF, mainly in the Bomb Disposal Unit, but his job exposed him to prolonged danger and repeated traumatic events, and his mental health suffered as a result. During Paul’s first tour abroad, he started to experience panic attacks and he was sent back to the UK with suspected Acute Stress Reaction. As a committed team member, he felt guilty and ashamed that he had left his colleagues and he asked to be sent back to Iraq to re-join his unit. The second and third tours followed and Paul was exposed to further trauma and started to suffer from anxiety and depression and to experience intense and disturbing flashbacks. To try to hide the symptoms of PTSD and to manage his mental health, Paul self-medicated with...
Martin and Kerry's story
By Walking With The Wounded on
Martin was 17 when he joined the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. One fateful encounter with a group of looters in Basra turned to tragedy when a young Iraqi man lost his life. Martin was the focus of a lot of publicity during a court case, and
the stress on him and his family was enormous. Not only did his mental health suffer but also his home life and he was compelled to stay away from home. Martin was unreservedly cleared of all the charges against him but by this time his military career was over. In the years that followed, Martin started to suffer from depression, anxiety and PTSD & he would use alcohol and drugs to ‘manage’ his symptoms. His mental health continued to deteriorate and...
Craig's 56 mile yomp for Walking Home For Christmas!
By Walking With The Wounded on
An Army Veteran of 33 years, Craig Roxby is very familiar with the challenges the Armed Forces face and wants to give something back this Christmas by supporting Walking With The Wounded.
On the 16 December 2021 he'll depart Blackburn along the Leeds Liverpool Canal to Appletreewick (N Yorkshire); a total distance of 56 miles. He plans to complete this in 36hrs, walking 2 large legs and concluding with a 14 mile leg on day 3 and has kindly said that anyone who wishes to join him on his walk is very welcome!
You can see what Craig is upto and support him here: https://www.walkinghomeforchristmas.com/users/craig-roxby