General Sir Peter Wall, former chief of the British Army and president of soldiers’ charity Combat Stress, is calling on more members of the public to take part in the #22PushUpChallenge and help raise £1 million for the veteran’s mental health charity.
As reported last week by The Courier, the challenge started in the US to create awareness of mental health issues among veterans, and participation in UK is just as important to support Britain’s ex-servicemen and women.
Since Combat Stress started supporting the challenge last month, more than £80,000 has been donated to the organisation, the UK’s leading mental health charity for ex-servicemen and women.
Sir Peter, who turned 61 last month, is undertaking the challenge and is well on the way to doing 22 push ups every day for 22 days.
He is now asking for the public’s help to raise vital funds for Combat Stress.
Last year the charity saw a 6% increase in referrals, and a 28% increase the year before that.
With a growing demand for its specialist clinical treatment, Combat Stress urgently needs to raise more money to ensure every veteran seeking help receives the best support possible.
Support
Sir Peter said: “The support from the public has been strong and will make a real difference to our work. We know that far too many veterans suffer in silence with their mental health conditions, and this #22PushUpChallenge will help us to reach out to them by raising awareness of PTSD and the treatment available. With more public donations Combat Stress will be able to deliver a vital service to many more veterans across the UK. We have to do this to prevent unnecessary suffering.
“If you haven’t already taken part in the challenge, then why not start this week? It’s a great opportunity to get behind the military community and show your support. With the summer weather we’re currently basking in, it’s the perfect time to go outside, take part in a fun challenge and donate to Combat Stress.”
People can get involved by doing 22 push ups – full, half or even air push ups – and donating £5 to Combat Stress by texting PTSD22 to 70004.
If people would like to share a video on social media of them taking part in the challenge, they can use the hashtag #22PushUpChallenge.
malexander@thecourier.co.uk
