I'm Phil a paramedic from Cheltenham. My brother Dan and I both served for the British Army on operational tours; him in Iraq and me in Kosovo and Bosnia. 

Dan is currently suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It came to a head 5 and a half years after he got back from Iraq.  He'd already been treated for PTSD because of nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety relating to the experiences.

The PTSD symptoms returned with a vengance.  On 14th June 2009, He lost it completely, kissed the children goodbye and walked out of the house with the aim of ending it all.  Before he could go through with it, the police arrived in force with a helicopter, dog team and two armed response teams.  He was arrested. He has been undergoing treatment since that night and is making improvements with his kind, loving family right behind him.

Now to the point of this page the NHS have limited resources to help people like Dan and with the current pace of operations in Afghanistan, our country is sitting on a ticking timebomb of ex-forces personnel needing help.  Combat Stress is a charity formed in 1919 to look after the needs of war veterans, with 3 hospitals around the UK, and they have been wonderful in helping him.  Dan is due to be admitted for a while, but this costs Combat Stress £2100 each week. 

Dan is determined to pay his way and I am going to help him. My wife Liz and I have been fundraising and have already raised enough to pay for his stay.  We are determined to pay for a few more like him to have a stay too.  We're aiming to raise another £21,000, which will pay for ten other servicemen and women to receive the residential care for a week which they desparately need and deserve. They've done their bit for the country and now it's our chance to show our appreciation and give them a little back.

Walk on the wild side is a walk we are planning from the war memorial in Cheltenham to the Cenotaph in London, between Monday 10th May and Thursday 13th May 2010,  a distance of approximately 125 miles. We will be stopping briefly at 10 Downing Street to drop a letter off for the Prime Minister urging him to do more for ex-servicemen and women suffering from PTSD and provide more funding and support for Combat Stress. From there we will making the short walk to the Cenotaph to lay a wreath of poppies to pay our respects to the fallen.

There are 5 of us taking part, myself, my brother Dan and 3 fellow paramedics Steve Mitchell, Neil Jones and Simon Smith. In the near future we will be posting a link to the route we will be taking, feel free to meet up with us along the way and maybe join us in walking a few miles.

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