On the 9th of October I shall be completing my 2nd Great South Run and hope to smash last years time of 1hr 38mins. This time I have decided to run for a cause very close to my heart.

You cannot fail to notice the state the world is in at the moment, Service personnel are currently serving in many countries and only recently there have been graphic images on the television and within the national newspapers of soldiers being attacked and set on fire. Thankfully, physically, they are alright, but emotionally they themselves may not know of the damage they have received.

I served as a member of the Armed Forces for 12 years between 1987 and 1999 and in that time I completed 5 operational tours, however I never received help dealing with the sights I would see nor the emotions I would feel beyond a cursory briefing. On my 3rd tour of Northern Ireland a colleague and good friend of mine was the first on the scene of an incident that took the life of a team member, he still relived that scene many years afterwards.

The Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, also known as Combat Stress, is the only charity to support British ex-Servicemen and women who have been profoundly traumatised as a result of their service. With their help many service personnel have been able to rebuild there life's after suffering from psychological injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this they have been doing for over 80 years and with your help they can carry on much as long as they are needed. Please dig deep for a charity that deals with the wounds no-one sees but thier victims Thank you for any donation