Veteran reunited with family last Christmas is the focus of new Regular Giving campaign

Dwayne, an Armed Forces veteran who served in Afghanistan, is the focus of Walking With The Wounded's new Regular Giving campaign. Sharing Dwayne’s story with supporters aims to increase the number of people giving regular donations, helping the charity expand its vital support for veterans and their families across the UK.

The campaign’s key message is for the public to "Step Up" and support those who have served.

While many veterans transition smoothly to civilian life, some face significant challenges. Dwayne’s story is an example of this. Originally from Grenada, Dwayne moved to England at 16 and joined the Army. During his deployment to Afghanistan, he faced life-threatening situations but still described his service as "the best job ever." However, after returning home to witness the birth of his son, Dwayne was attacked and stabbed by a group of young men and left temporarily paralysed. With the support of his Army colleagues, he made a remarkable recovery and returned to duty, only to be medically discharged later due to a non-freezing cold injury to his hands and feet.

Dwayne's transition to civilian life was difficult. He struggled with flashbacks, and insomnia while running a delivery business. Eventually, the pressures became too much, and he found himself living in his car. It was a fellow veteran who encouraged him to seek help, leading to his diagnosis of Complex PTSD. Dwayne was referred to Walking With The Wounded for support, and with the guidance of Clare, a Veteran Liaison Support Officer (VSLO) at the charity, he secured housing, access to benefits. Through Clare’s careful and individualised support, and by asking tailored questions about Dwayne’s situation, she was able to uncover Dwayne’s desire to reconnect with his children over Christmas and though the individualised support model of WWTW, was able to make this a reality.

In 2023, Walking With The Wounded supported 2,131 veterans and their families through its Head Start mental health programme, support care coordination, and employment services. The charity is unique in the veteran support sector as it meets veterans face to face, and estimates to have had over 4000 cups of tea with veterans in the past year. Regular donations are crucial in enabling the charity to provide life-changing individualised support to veterans like Dwayne.

Viveca Johnstone, Individual Giving Manager at WWTW, said: "Every contribution allows us to continue helping veterans and their families. Dwayne’s story exemplifies the life-changing work we do every day for veterans and their families across the UK. However, to reach more people like Dwayne, we need more support workers and funding for our programmes. We are incredibly grateful to those who already support us. Their generosity has made a significant impact, but the demand for our services continues to grow. Please consider becoming a Regular Giver and support us in planning for the future of more veterans like Dwayne."