A former British solider will embark on a very personal trek later this year as he seeks to raise funds for the Combat Stress organization, a charity dedicated to helping veterans from the U.K. deal with PTSD. The trek is called Walking Home for Christmas, and it draws some inspiration from a concept promoted by Prince Harry back in 2010.Dan McAreavey currently lives and works in Northern France, but in December, rather than taking the usual modes of transpiration to travel back to visit his family in his hometown of Blackburn, he'll cover the distance by walking instead. The entire journey will cover about 330 miles (531 km), passing through British towns and cities, and across the English countryside, in the process.
McAreavey says that when he returned home from serving in the military back in 2012, like many soldiers, he suffered from PTSD. But, with the help of Combat Stress, he was able to overcome those issues and now leads a much happier life. That has prompted him to want to give something back and provide a little help for the organization that gave him the tools he needs to be healthy.
The former solider has set up a Just Giving page where he is hoping to raise a modest £635 – or roughly $833. That is one £ for every British soldier who lost his or her life in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of this writing, he is more than halfway to that goal, with plenty of time until Christmas to get the full funding.
You can follow McAreavey as he prepares for the trek and throughout his journey on his Facebook page. It is a worthy cause and should be a wonderful adventure too. Good luck Dan!
