Wolfpack Pilgrimage

Meet Andy Dawling, the elite forces veteran and former rugby pro walking 1,000 miles for charity.

He hopes to raise £21,000 to be shared between three charities close to his heart – The SAS Regimental Association, Restart, the official charity of The Rugby Players Association and the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust. And he’s well on the way to meeting that target.

Andy started his journey earlier this month in Monmouth and headed north, through Welshpool and Oswestry to the coast where he turned west for Anglesey. Walking about 25 miles a day, he’ll soon finish his tour of the island and take on Wales’s west coast. He’s being assisted on his trek by various rugby clubs and organisations who’ll offer shelter, moral support and a warm meal before he heads off on the next leg. He’s also encoruaging people to join him on a stretch of his walk. Andy hopes to arrive back in Monmouth, more than a month after he set off.

Andy’s journey is inspired by his personal struggles with PTSD, a mental health condition that affects many individuals, especially those who have served in the military. He hopes to use his journey to inspire others to seek help and connect with supportive communities.

He says: “I joined the Army at 17 and spent over two decades in the UK’s Elite Airborne Forces with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. I was deployed on operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Fast forward a decade, and I have learnt that my suppression of past events has manifested itself in my psyche and behaviours. Despite having a complete breakdown, I was still in denial as to my mental health issues, until recently has been clinically diagnosed with PTSD. My symptoms are not uncommon with others who are battling the same disorder – most notably I suffer from continuous intrusive thoughts from past experiences, ever-increasing fogginess of mind, unwarranted negative thoughts about myself and hyper-vigilance to threats that simply don’t exist. These symptoms, together with the unsettling feeling of being on edge when I go to sleep, has resulted in an increasing need to self-isolate.”

Andy has begun to make positive changes in his life and this walk around Wales with like-minded people is another step towards recovery.

“My refusal to admit I was struggling and lack of recognition for the need of help has had a significant detrimental effect on not only my own wellbeing but also on the people I care for the most. However, as a former Airborne Soldier, it is instilled within me to take a disciplined approach to resolving problems. As such, I am taking responsibility for my own recovery, drawing on the latest research to assist in my healing and the support of a caring community.

I am determined and focused on my mission to quieten the demons and help who I can along the way.”

You can follow Andy’s journey here