Apologies in advance for a long thread.
My brother and I both served in the forces; him in Bosnia/Kosovo, me in Iraq. Both of us have suffered from PTSD and depression and have needed help. For me it came to a head last summer - 5 and a half years after I got back. I'd already been treated for PTSD because of nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety relating to the combat experiences, but things started getting worse. I was a Captain with 150 soldiers and officers to look after and, despite numerous injuries and wounds, I brought them all back alive. Despite the old cliche, I was the first to step off the plane, and last to walk up the ramp of the Hercules 7 months later. Since then, two of my guys have committed suicide because of their experiences (one on xmas day 2008), one friend killed (hit in the face with an RPG in Afghanistan), two friends in the same roadside IED in Afghanistan, one in a plane crash and one in an RTA. I had left the forces and started feeling guilty that my soldiers and friends were dying around me, but I was not doing my bit and not there to help them. Also, the PTSD symptoms were returning with a vengance. 14 June this year, I lost it, kissed the children goodbye and walked out of the house with a rope and a gun with the aim of ending it all.
Before I could go through with it, the police arrived in force with the helicopter, dog team and two armed response teams. After a brief standoff (I had no intention of hurting anyone else, just myself) I was arrested and sectioned. I have been undergoing treatment since that night and am making improvements, I have returned to work and just have the Crown Court case for the firearms offence to deal with starting in January. Psychiatric reports, police statements (all in my support) and character references should mean a good chance of aquittal, but there remains a risk of conviction.
Now to the point of the thread - The NHS have little resources to help people like me. Combat Stress is a charity formed in 1919 looking after war veterans, with 3 hospitals around the UK, and they have been wonderful in helping me. After my court case is over, I am due to be admitted for a while, but this costs Combat Stress £2100 each week. I'm determined that I pay my way and that I pay for a few more like me to have a stay too. I'm aiming to raise £21k, which will pay for me and nine others. What I can't raise in a year, I'll pay out of my own money.
In the spring, my brother and I will be running from Cheltenham war memorial to the cenotaph in London (120 miles, 2 days, as much cross country as possible). This is just the warmup though.
In the summer, I'm planning to cycle John O'Groats to Land's End, solo, unsupported and within 3 days. The route I have selected is a bit scenic, so at 960 miles I should be doing 320 per day. I'll carry all I need, but am only planning to stop for 20 minutes every 8 hours and fight through in one go.
Despite going solo, I'd appreciate riding buddies for short stretches along the way (will conserve my ipod battery if I can talk to someone) and will publish the route if anyone fancies meeting up on the road?
What I'm asking for here is advice and tips, both for the ride and how I can maximise fundraising. Many of you must have done rides for charity and will know the most effective ways of raising corporate sponsorship, online fundraising, sponsor forms, publicity etc. Let me know what I should be doing to maximise the return and make it worthwhile for such a good cause.
wow a lot to deal with. sorry no advice, but best of luck. Do let me know the route and I will try to join you for bits if it's near me.
have sent link to a friend who did LEJOG this year, hopefully get some tips for you. pretty sure if you publish route you will get company on the way. good luck fella,
If not fit enough to ride along with you i'm sure we can all get together to provide food/drink stops for you.
Would be quite nice actually, waiting at the roadside with a canteen of hot food for a bunch of two-wheeled enduro-freaks to arrive!
Great idea, Muddydwarf, great idea! I'm nowhere near the route, though!
Bonne chance!
Thanks all so far. The odd cup of tea with 3 sugars would be very welcome.
I reckon you need to get your route up somewhere so we can all see it, and MAKE BLOODY SURE everyone knows when you'll be riding. I reckon you could well get a lot of help and support from STW.
Apart from that, chapeau!
Post up a route and a justgiving link! and good luck to you.
Have you thought about getting your story into a national paper? Supporting our troops is a 'hot' topic in the media at the moment. Look for who is writing articles on supporting our troops etc and target them. Got a Facebook Group yet?
Set up a facebook page, get it linked to as often as possible, get an online donation page setup - justgiving as previously mentioned. write to the sun/star etc - they are good supporters of the forces and might give you publicity if not actual sponsorship.
post the dates/routes etc asap so folk can start planning.
Good Luck
Go to the CTC LEJOG Forum for all the advice on the trip http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=22&sid=b2f884bf742a98d0c9c80bd4afbcf97b Plenty of people there with experience of the route.
As for advice on fundraising, I can't help I'm afraid.
Shit Dan - I wished I'd known!!!
get in touch mate - no promises but I MAY be able to help with some practical support on the ride (depending on what my guys are up to and when it is)
You know where I am if you want to share a pint with a shiney-arse!
"solo, unsupported and within 3 days. The route I have selected is a bit scenic, so at 960 miles I should be doing 320 per day"
Is that possible? Maybe you're ex-RowCo!
I'd have said a support team is necessary.
As above, get the route posted up and you'll get guys and gals turning out for you. Mind you, going on the pi££ in N Germany / BAOR every alternative tour in my case is not quite what you've been through. Perhaps my liver might want to argue the toss on that though!
I'm sure it's possible - record is 44 hours and 3 days would average less than 14mph. What I lack in strength and skill I'll make up for with grit and determination. There are serving and ex-soldiers with horrific injuries who are tougher than that and I'm determined not to let them down. I'll soon find out when I give it a try.
Will def get the route up when confirmed. Am waiting for all the advice on route to come in first (what to avoid, where to definitely include, who's going to offer a cup of tea etc.) No confirmed dates yet, but am aiming for June, possibly 19/20/21st as the long daylight will reduce the number of lights batteries I will need to carry.
get the route up.
I'd love to come over and ride with you for a hundred or so.
good on you mate
It's a Hell of a pace and distance.
14mph is I think, a the pace of the slow group on a 3hr club road ride.
Never mind the 3 days of kit you'll be humping.
12mph is the average speed of a top flight XC racer on something like the Montane Kielder 100.
You'd need to be in the form of your life.
Let us know and at the same time, see if you can't get many of the other cycling forums involved in some way, of course this one is mostly off-road mountain bike orientated so many will struggle to keep up with you if you've got up a head of steam on a road bike!
When exactly are you doing it? Me and Trail_Rat are planning a similar venture for September.
Ah - I see the dates now. I'll come out and give you a tow for a few miles.
I'll be up for a support ride for a few miles also.
Best of luck.
Get the press on board, especially the tabloids as that are really keen on supporting the Forces. Approach your local BBC news desk and ask them about how they do 'interest' pieces.
Live tracking through a website is good too, our directors did it on their Red Grade Challenege.
Be proud to ride with you for a stage/leg.
I wish you luck in both these endeavours but would ask if you think the pressure your putting on yourself is potentially going to give you more problems. Are you really ready to deal with failure which could come even with the very best preparation and training. There will be so many things out of your control which may affect the outcome. What I'm trying to say is that I worry that you might blame yourself if some external factor over which you have no control were to cause you to have to abandon either undertaking. Only you know the answer to that but maybe the people helping you may also be able to talk it through with you. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck with rebuilding your life but please don't feel that it's your responsibility to try to sort out the problems of other servicemen Its not it,s all of ours. I'm sorry if this sounds negative as I don't mean it to be I just feel you must first look after yourself and your family before you take on responsibility for those that the rest of us have let down.
Suggestions:
1. Let us know where we can donate. We can start donating now to get you started.
2. Take longer to do the ride. Doing it in 3 days would be a great achievement, but why not take longer and schedule some publicity stops in major towns? That way I'm sure you'd raise more money. A slower pace would also mean some more company riding alongside you 🙂
Best of luck.
+1 for donation link
Best of luck fella
I'll ride with you for some of it. Let me know your route and if my chemo has finished by then I'd be honoured to assist.
better get the police and AA warned in advance. If Dan and Petesgaff are both out together there'll be at least another 500 riders wanting to support them together.
Feeling humbled. Again.
Plot route and add staged support in there, it should save what you need to carry on the way (and you will get help form this site no doubt!) also, don't forget any tri service papers/defence journals, Army Cycling Union,RAF Cycling, or RN cycling website.
No easy answer dang. Use this site and the rest of t'internet to get as much publicity as possible, and sell sell sell to businesses. Write to CEO's of all the major defence contractors and follow it up with phone calls. Your story will also strike a chord with Daily Mail/Telegraph/Times/Sun readership, so ring them and talk to a journo. Work every contact you have ever had, a lot of ex officers must have reasonable management jobs... And let me what I can do to help.
Dan,
First, I think you should consider doing it over a longer period. There's a lot of love around for servicemen and women so the cause will attract plenty of help and sponsorship, not the difficulty-factor. If you plan and execute a more conservative challenge in 2010 you can come back in 2011 and do another ride. If you plan something nuts for 2010 and crash and burn, you ain't no use to anyone. Sometimes you kind of have to tread water a bit in order to ultimately go forward (hope that makes sense).
Second, SORT OUT YOUR HYDRATION! I can't stress it enough. At the rate you will be working you will have to replace at least 1 litre per hour. You also need to think about replacing electrolytes. Matt Hart at Torq may be the man to speak to about this.
Third, get the route and a just giving link up pronto.
Good luck!
Keep us posted
x
What avdave and epicyclo says.
You may get some corporate sponsor who will want you to detour to his head office for a photo/news/newspaper press do. Seen that a few times this year in town with the likes of police, firemen and other charity rides. Choosing to visit the hospitals you mention and giving them some press coverage would do for starters.
Local tv stations seem to provide good coverage
Make it an enjoyable, achievable epic rather than something personal.
Do a google for local bike clubs on your route and post on them.
I will be on holiday in June or would have joined you for a bit, probably not be able to keep up with you anyway 🙁
I did a 2 day mtb ride for MS a few years ago in the Lakes, 150mls, and had a great time. Took and got loads of pictures and made up a bit of a story, Got local press to do a story thanking all sponsors and presenting cheque to MS rep etc.
Good luck and have FUN doing it.
Thanks for all the messages of support and advice so far. The main points from this thread and from others I have spoken to are:-
* Add a day or two to the schedule.
* Add a few towns for publicity and fundraising opportunities.
* Press coverage (got a mate who's a reporter with the BBC, so will tap him up for contacts).
* Corporate contacts - will start approaching when the route/dates/plan have firmed up more.
* Get the justgiving page up asap (will do v.soon).
* Live tracking sounds ace - also good for any of you wanting to tag along to see when and where to get on your bikes!
* Arrange support (would rather staged than continuous, as I still want long stretches alone with time to reflect)
avdave2, points all taken, but this is actually part of my treatment. The psychiatric team looking after me all say that helping others in a similar predicament has proven benefits in accepting and overcoming my own. Besides, I can be a tough, determined b@stard when I want to be - the exertion levels will be similar to the Cambrian Patrol, and I did that 4 years running. Adding a day or two will reduce the chance of failure, but still be a decent challenge.
good luck with the court case, have the police or your defence given you any vibes? Such firearms offences carry a statutory 5 year minimum sentence on conviction which wouldnt leave the sentencing judge much room if you were found guilty. Although in the below case he stated the exceptional circumstances allowed him to avoid the guidelines
http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2009-09-04-Jail-for-son-who-gave-father-suicide-gun
Whether a jury of 12 would convict you given the circumstances you describe is a different matter.
Agree with other posters that making it longer gives more time to raise money, and look at the level of exposure Help For Heroes has right now. If you are acquitted, the case itself would kickstart a lot of publicity for your cause.
Good luck, though I'd agree with the folk who suggested giving yourself an extra couple of day, particularly if the main aim is to raise money/awareness.
Make sure you post something when you know the exact route, and if you need any advice about roads in Scotland you only have to ask.
There does seem to be a real sense of the country really being behind the forces at the moment, even more so than usual. Even the folk who don't agree with the politics of Iraq or Afghanistan seem to really appreciate the conditions the troops are working in and the job they are doing. Makes quite a change from the grubby, greedy world MPs inhabit.
Good luck for 2010, both on and off the bike.
I'm fairly confident about the court case - it starts in Barry Magistrates Court, 10:00 on Wednesday 23rd December. This is purely to send the case to the Crown Court (have been led to believe it will go to Merthyr), planned for the first week of January.
The key to my defence hinges on the charge of firearm possession with intent to cause attending police officers to believe that violence will be used against them or others. My psychiatric report states in at least 5 places that I had no intent to cause anyone else any harm or distress and that I acted impulsively with no planning and in a state of mind unable to make clear decisions. The CPS admit to not having read the report, as they state that they want a court to decide whether to convict or acquit. If the intent bit can be disproved, then the court will have to acquit the whole charge.
On Wednesday, my solicitor will receive the prosecution pack, including the firearm team individual statements. A little bird tells me these are all supportive of my predicament and none felt for their own safety. This is reflected in the fact that they didn't point their guns at me, just taser.
Will have to wait and see how it goes. If it all goes horribly wrong, I'll have 5 years for the fundraising!
Good luck fella, when you thinking on doing the ride
Firstly, all the best with the case and your ongoing treatment.
Like many others have said, taking longer and concentrating on the PR side of things will maximise the returns (both financial and in terms of public awareness).
I'd be more than happy to ride alongside, provide food, drinks, whatever as part of any rolling support team. Email in profile.
All the best to you and your brother.
Another little point.
Know where your bikes shops are en route, give a few of them the story and ask for some assistance in case of emergency. I know Biketreks did that for a woman doing the same challenge a few years ago.
Wow, that is one hell of a humbling post. I wish you all the best with the trial and your treatment.
If you can get a link for donations (I guess "justgiving.com"?) I will post it at work as there are quite a few people there keen on supporting the forces 😉
I would go for a slightly slower LEJOG and get a couple of publicity stops along the way (arranged with local press / BBC / ITV local) would maximise the £££ and awareness raised.
Keep us informed and I am sure we can all help raise money for this important work.
Alex
Right, I'm setting up the justgiving website. Think of a catchy name for my page!
Answers on a postcard asap please.
Captain Danny's solo LEJOG
Keep us posted and good luck.
Plan the route to pass by Bristo Abbey Wood (easy enough over the bridge and down the A38) and we'll arrange a welcoming cttee.
Good luck with this and your court case.
I come from an Army family my grandfather in WW2 lost his leg in El Alamein , my uncle was killed in the early 70's in an explosion that destroyed his land rover, my father also served for a number of years in R.Sigs. I fully endorse and support anything to do with our Armed forces and the great job they do in very difficult conditions with quite dubious support.
Look forward to supporting this cause. Best of luck!!!!
I assume you will be passing through or close to Worcester so I will be more than willing to help out with support, B@B if you need it and some company on the ride. Let us know the route, dates etc asp. I am an ex-serviceman so glad to offer any help we can.
Names?
Madasacarrott?
captainfruitloop?
threepipsLEJOG?
960lejog
Sorry for the OT, but do you live near Bognor, Muddypuddle?
Thanks for all the offers of support. I may have to add a few miles to ensure I can visit you all.
Right then, I'm on my way.
Justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/CaptainDanSoloLEJOG
Dates: 17-21 June 2010
Route: Just being tweaked for publication
Publicity: Appointments with BBC, the Sun, NOTW - more to follow.
Please dig deep!!! 🙂
first donation, good luck
Thanks, I'm very grateful. Please pass on the link to those you know who may be feeling generous.
Hmm, Muddypuddle....
Shall I do the lap on the road bike I was planning to use for LEJOG, use my Trance X2 for the LEJOG to improve my lap at MM, or just carry one bike as a spare?
Seriously though, d'you think someone would lend me a bike for the lap if I turn up?
Just coughed a pony. And will also put the word out. And well done on the PR front.
Loan bike at Mayhem, no problemo. Just remind me closer to the time.
Muddypuddle. re Bognor, weirdly had a recent ebay transaction with some one in the vicinity with the same moniker.
Seriously though, d'you think someone would lend me a bike for the lap if I turn up?
I think the problem will be too many offers, not too few! 😀
Right, I'll post that at work tomorrow and give it a plug in the new year to give it a boost 🙂
When are you looking at running from Cheltenham?...and are you local to there?
SSP
Combat Stress is a charity formed in 1919 looking after war veterans, with [i]3 hospitals around the UK[/i]
A suggestion - Plan your route around visiting their 3 main centres - or more, just looked at their site - looks like they have a lot of regional centres you could hit as well, if the mood took you.... maximising publicity? 😉
O'course, i'm not suggesting that would be within your current 3 day plan 😉
In the meantime, i'll drop in a donation and keep on eye out for the route / date, will assist where possible.
Regards & chapeau
Chris
Thanks all again - a quick update.
The Cheltenham/London walk is being organised by my brother. He's an ex medic with KORBR and lives in Cheltenham. We're doing it mid-May with a bunch of medics/police from the Cheltenham and Gloucester area and I'm just tagging along for the fun of it. This is the first route we are planning, and I may check it out on the Trance first. He's aiming for £21k (10 ex-soldiers staying for a week each).
The LEJOG is mine, solo, because I want nice long stretches of ride for my own time to reflect. I've so many people wanting to join me for legs, that I'm sure my mood will be great (think of the coast to coast run in Forrest Gump, but without the cool bumper sticker sloguns). I'm also looking to support 10 ex-soldiers. The route will be the next one planned after the walk is set.
Anyway, gotta go as I'm in the dock at 10:00am tomorrow morning and need to polish my shoes. Will update in the afternoon.
Hi,
A mate of mine is a long distance cyclist and has done Lands End to JOG and Race Across America a couple of times 9think he also holds the world record for the longest distance cycled on an indoor bike in a day)!
He's also a mentor/coach and would certainly be happy to share his experiences with you if that helps. Not sure if you can private message me on this forum but if you'd like to chat with him let me know and I'll get you his email address.
If you end up coming through Edinburgh then consider yourself more than welcome - if we can help then we will.
You sound like a top guy. :salutes:
I had the first stage in the Magistrates Court today. Sent straight to the Crown Court, but at least we got the prosecution evidence pack today. The prosecution pack was virtually a case for the defence, as the 10 police statements, helicopter video and control room transcript all appear to be well in my favour. The solicitor described the prosecution case as a "croc of sh1t" and a waste of everyones' time.
I've got the pre-trial hearing at Cardiff Crown Court at 09:00 on 29th December, but it should then be adjourned until mid-January. The prosecution informally suggested to my solicitor that if we could get additional evidence that my trial is prolonging my wait for treatment, he could possibly make the case go away 🙂 The mental health team are putting a letter in the post tonight to this effect.
I now have legal aid and work are giving me paid compassionate leave for the trial, despite this being well outside the terms of my contract. Very supportive employer!!!
I have also had the trustees of Sir Tasker Watkins's estate approach me yesterday. They have a fund set up to help ex-soldiers with connections in Glamorgan and Monmouthshire and have offered to pay for a holiday for me and my family once the court case is over. I've gratefully suggested that there may be a few more like me with more needy situations, but we agreed that I'll accept if they can't find anyone else who needs it more.
I had numerous messages and cards of support, which brought me to tears last night. I'm starting to feel in a far better place now and am keen to get this phase over with and get on with my life. I've got a bit of time off now, so will be training hard for the run and the ride - will have to approach the food and drink of Christmas with moderation!
Will update on progress as it happens. Merry Christmas all.
Good news, thanks for the update and have a good Christmas
yeah. have a good christmas, hope all goes well with this.
donation made and good luck with the ride
Thanks adey, awesome!
Good luck mate.
I left shortly before it all kicked off (on resettlement instead of op Jacana) but went to some other "interesting" places. Some of my old colleagues have suffered with PTSD from NI etc.
A very worthy cause but I think you should do it on a 40lb downhiller!
I'm contemplating riding to and from the start/finish from Cardiff (save the train fare), taking the full suss (for a lap of MM as suggested earlier) and towing the bike trailer to carry a big bucket for collecting coins along the way and beer for the finish line.
Quick update - Crown Court trial starts tomorrow at 14:00 at Cardiff Crown Court (pre-trial hearing only). Am psyching myself up and only need to polish my shoes and medals before I'm ready.
Good luck in court mate hope all go's well!I'am sure you can get some publicity off the back off your court case (every cloud has a silver lining)and the sun newspaper have just done an awards night for guys like you!I have family and mate's who are serving and ex serving and have been thinking about doing the offroad LEGOG version for help for heroe's org.I'am thinking of doing it Great Divide race style,100+ miles a day and bivvying.My fitness is not up to scratch so will be training and gettin some bivvy rides in in the summer ready for a pop at it next year!
Hmmmm. HM Courts are creaking at the seams methinks.
Just phoned to check I'm listed for today. Apparently not. The [b]paperwork[/b] hasn't arrived by [b]post[/b] yet.
Paperwork? Post? FFS, what is wrong with online and email. No wonder the whole organisation is so backwards. Looks like I'll be in during the first/second week of January now.
Right then, I've got a day for training, so a full day run is in order.
Forgot to add, my Mum has offered to help with the fundraising by writing to loads of companies and organisations to get them to dig deep. She is retired and disabled and anything involving writing or typing is very tiring and difficult for her, so this is a really nice offer.
Hi Dan
I just got paid today so I've made a donation to your Justgiving page. I hope you win your battle in court & succeed in your fund raising ventures.
Good luck with both mate.
I was about to about to buy junk from sales but chucking a tenner your way and I'm a skint student so no excuses for anyone on the forum!
Stop buying crap people and donate please!
(All the best Dan)
bump and good luck. in my experience courts never run on time and are swamped. And I've been to more than one initial hearing where no one has seen any paperwork (the investigators get beasted to get the papers submitted in good time so the CPS or the police force file handlers can lose it for months...).
Pre-trial hearing was a farce. The judge got pi55ed off with the CPS, saying that if he had the power, he may have been tempted to throw the case out and that they may wish to go away and re-think whether they want to prosecute or not.
Adjourned until 15th Feb!
Time to get out on the bike and train.
I've been discussing nutrition with my brother.
What is the best, simple, lightweight diet for 3-5 days on the bike?
I did a quick Cardiff-London last year and lived off banana, cereal bars, flapjacks and snickers. That was fine for 16 hours, but what about longer?
We are tempted to add lots of eggs and beans to the list above. Bro has his own free-range chickens, so no shortage of the freshest, most awesome eggs in the UK.
How's this going Dan?
Contacted any mags etc?
Best of luck!
good luck for Monday, keep us posted with the court case. Is it for pleas etc (PCMH)??
How is the training going too? a bit flipping cold in this weather me thinks!
Sorry I've gone a bit quiet lately.
Trial preparation is going well. The PCMH due for Monday has been delayed until Wednesday, as the CPS prosecutor allocated to the case has referred it up to the chief prosecutor in Wales. It is his view the case should be dropped.
We received the last bit of evidence that the CPS intended not to use - the DVD of the helicopter camera. The content is very supportive of our defence. This will be added to the 10 police statements, the 3 psychiatric reports all in my favour. Not seen anything supportive of the CPS case yet.
In fact, the CPS wrote to my legal team stating that the main reason that they are pushing the case is to allow the option of the court enforcing my medical treatment. This is actually delaying the start of my treatment with Combat Stress and also the War Veterans Service at UHW and I have been voluntarily attending all treatment anyway.
I've even had unofficial contact from the police team who arrested me - all very supportive and representative of their professional and sympathetic treatment of me on the day in June 2009.
Training is going well - I've been out on the bike a lot, particularly an old, heavy steel mountain bike with bike trailer attached. Riding that everywhere on the road was great preparation for my Cardiff-London ride last year, as my road bike felt weightless after that. Plenty of running and boxing too, so should be well in shape by the summer.
I haven't publicised too much yet, as I want to get the trial out of the way first. Will push all the corporate stuff closer to the time.
Great stuff and good luck for the week ahead.
Good idea about training with a heavy load to make it easier for the big day.
😀
Good luck at Court Dan.
So how did the PCMH go? fingers crossed.
as above
Not well. The one charge got dropped, but replaced with two new ones - Affray and Firearm possession in a public place without reasonable or lawful excuse.
The Affray is easy - no violence, no threats = not affray.
The possession without reasonable excuse will be countered by my legal team, who are calling two consultant psychiatrists as expert witnesses to my mental state on the night, i.e. not capable of making a reasonable decision.
Trial continues 27th April at Newport Crown Court.