A Nottinghamshire MP will run in one of Nottingham's biggest events to raise money for a local veterans charity. Darren Henry, Conservative MP for Broxtowe, will be taking part in the Robin Hood Half Marathon on Sunday, September 25 to fundraise for Beeston-based veterans charity Forces in the Community.
The politician served in the RAF for many years before leaving his role as a logistics officer in 2013. He said transitioning to public life was difficult for many servicemembers, highlighting the important work of the local charity which provides counselling, as well as employment, housing and benefits advice.
"When you are in the services there is a really defined structure to your life, families are supported well, and when you come out it is very different. You have to find a job and find your way on your own, and we want to raise awareness that Forces in the Community is an organisation that can help you navigate that," Mr Henry said.
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"When I left the services I was a logistics officer, I had a lot on my CV in that field, but civilian companies don't necessarily understand that. There's a bit of mismatch, which is why Forces in the Community help with CV writing, interview skills and coaching.
"Mental health affects people throughout society, and we're all becoming more aware of that. But of course, veterans do that thing which nobody else does - they are willing to die for their country and with that comes some harrowing experiences, and Forces in our Community have qualified psychotherapists who are either veterans themselves or family members who can help.
"The point is that the help is there, so they need funding because of the support they offer, the employment and welfare, the benefits knowledge and support, and help with CVs and housing. They've certainly got the will, and are on the ground working with veterans but they do need for people to realise they're there to provide support."
Mr Henry said that whilst he was not the most keen runner, he was hoping the event's atmosphere would get him to the finish line. "I'm not a runner, when I was growing up cross country was something to just get through, it wasn't something I enjoyed. The longest I ever did in the RAF was 10 miles and I said 'I'll never do this again'," Mr Henry added.
"There's going to be some nice things to see and we'll be all in it together, and hopefully that will give me a few extra miles. I'm not a great runner, but I think this is a really important charity and I think this is a good way to raise money for it."
Rick Harrington, chief executive of Forces in the Community, which was founded in 2010, said veterans were less likely to ask for assistance when struggling. "The usual pattern is that someone leaves the service and then doesn't engage with anything for three to five years and then reengages. So that's one of the issues, if they engaged sooner it would be a lot easier," Mr Harrington said.
"In terms of what we do most of the work is around mental health, so we provide counselling. We also do work with benefits, welfare, and homelessness and employment.
"But then you also have the less obvious stuff, where people are struggling with life nowadays generally. There are huge problems in society that are not being addressed so the issues we experience with the people coming out of the service are not dissimilar to those most other charities deal with. If someone is lonely and needs a chat, or if someone is suicidal we see them too.
"A lot of the guys have an avoidance aspect to them, so partly childhood for a lot of them and military training means that when emotions come up they avoid them. This avoidance might be anger, it might be alcohol, it might be pushing themselves harder at the gym, so that avoidance of how they feel is probably a stronger trait than it is in the civilian world.
"There's this tenet that sits certainly through army life about 'adapt and overcome' and that you should be able to do something yourself, so then that does make it a problem to ask for help. But we did have someone who was 101, and the youngest we have had through is 19, so it affects a massive age range."
You can contribute to fundraising here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/forces-in-the-community
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