Former Army serviceman, Neil Raisbeck is undertaking the grueling 177 mile walk along the length of Offa’s Dyke in aid of the veteran’s mental health charity, Combat Stress.

The walk, which will take twelve days to complete, spans the length of the English/Welsh border, starting at Prestatyn and culminating at Chepstow.

Neil joined the Royal Engineers (RE) in 1986 aged 16 and served in tours of Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and Iraq. He now runs his own Health and Safety Consultancy in Hereford with his wife, Bonita since leaving the Army in 2011.

Neil said: “I consider myself to be one of the luckier veterans who came out of my Army career relatively unscathed. But, far too many of my colleagues didn’t fare as well and have significant mental health issues relating to their Army experiences.

“It’s reported that more veterans died from committing suicide in 2012 than by fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan during the same period. This just cannot be allowed to go unaddressed.

“Combat Stress does an amazing job of trying to redress this balance by providing specialist care and support for ex-service personnel with PTSD.”

Neil, who has almost raised £800 already, begins his walk on Sunday, August 28th and will be joined at various points along the route by friends and family.

Donations to Combat Stress can be made via Neil’s Just Giving page, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Neil-Raisbeck or donate £3 by texting SAPP86£3 to 70070.