'Humbled' Waterlooville Army veteran honoured after running hundreds of miles for those struggling with PTSD
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
An inspiring Army veteran has been honoured for his fundraising efforts after running hundreds of miles to honour his friends who lost their lives.
Alastair Golding, from Waterlooville, has accumulated thousands of pounds in a bid to support former service personnel with PTSD and other mental health challenges. He has been awarded the Challenge Champion of the Year accolade by Combat Stress for his tireless campaigning.
He was announced as the recipient by former First Sea Lord Sir Philip Jones at the charity’s annual awards ceremony in London. Mr Golding said: “I am humbled and honoured to have received this award in the first place, and now I’m inspired to do more to help Combat Stress.
“I simply wanted to help the charity because I had personal experience with Veterans suffering from PTSD and friends who had tragically taken their own life. I wanted to do something to help so I signed up for my first Race to Remember – a Combat Stress Challenge that went from my old base in Aldershot to my hometown of Portsmouth and gave me a chance to raise some funds for a great cause at the same time.”
Mr Golding, a former officer with The Gunners and Airborne Forces, started supporting Combat Stress in 2020 and has since raised £11,000. He started his own 76km ultramarathon after the charity’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Enthusiastic campaigning continued as he completed 14 endurance events, covering over 1,100km.
Mr Golding efforts are far from over and has since signed up for a further three events in a bid to support other veterans struggling with their mental health. “I got swept up by the drive of the Combat Stress charity organisers, the care and kindness of those supporting the events, and the dedication and sacrifice of those participating in them,” he added.
“My father sadly passed just before the event a few years ago, so now I’ve enlisted my two sisters and the three of us do the Race to Remember challenge to raise some funds for the charity and to remember him.”
Combat Stress delivers specialised treatment to former military personnel with severe mental health conditions. They offer free services online, in the community, and at treatment centres including psychiatric and psychological treatment; substance misuse management; art therapy; occupational therapy; peer support; family support; online self-help materials and a 24-hour helpline.
Director of fundraising Robert Marsh said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Alastair for his efforts, taking on endurance challenges time and time again, to help us to continue providing our specialist treatment to those veterans in need. We are therefore delighted to present him with his Challenge Champion of the Year award. No other charity does what we do. Combat Stress provides the most comprehensive veteran mental health treatment service in the UK, but we could not continue to do so without everything that incredible fundraisers like Alastair do for us and the veterans who seek our help.”
More information on the organisation can be found online, or by calling the helpline 0800 138 1619.