Changing the lives of those in the Armed Forces affected by stress, including veterans and their families, is the mission statement set out by Rock2Recovery (R2R).

Charlie and Joy were keen to join forces with ex Royal Marines Jamie Sanderson and Jason ’Foxy’ Fox, from the Channel 4 series ’SAS: Who Dares Wins’, who launched the initiative after recognisiing the need for immediate support for veterans.

The R2R team is widening its reach to offer services in the Isle of Man for veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), beliveing that there are a lot of ’hidden veterans’ who could benefit.

’We’re here in the Isle of Man to spread the word really because an awful lot of the people that need help do need prodding,’ said Charlie, who was part of the Royal Marines for 26 years but is now working at R2R.

Volunteer Joy, who has one son in the Armed Forces and another who is an ex Marine, says she joined the cause as both sons worked in the same commando group as Jamie and that she had ’empathy’ towards PTSD sufferers.

’So many Marines have passed through my kitchen crying on a Saturday night about the things that they’d seen and things that they’d heard,’ she said.

’Very often the people who get in touch [with R2R] will be concerned mates, mothers, wives, girlfriends because sometimes the lads withdraw.

’They’re brought up to be very strong soldiers and to admit that they have a problem is sometimes very difficult.’

’I think amongst young men suicide rates have generally gone up. The big danger is that young men will start thinking about suicide. Once you see a number growing you then feel like "let’s go up to Scotland or let’s go to the Isle of Man or wherever".’

The team was invited by Major Charles Wilson, chairman of the Armed Forces Day committee, to visit the island for the event in June.

Joy said: ’Word got round and we had about six or seven ex Marines ringing, saying "well if you’re coming over can I see you?".

’We were offered free accommodation and office space to see clients. The reception from people in the Isle of Man has been fantastic.’

Major Wilson told the Manx Independent: ’I believe in the Isle of Man we’ve got a lot of people who you might call "hidden veterans".

’They may have difficulties as a result of being in conflict. I understand that from my own perspective and what we’re trying to do is to identify who those people are and to get them the help.

’The sort of help that R2R can provide is absolutely first class and is what is needed.’

He first heard about the service through former union leader of Prospect, Angela Moffatt.

Being the vice chairman of the Royal British Legion and a member of SSAFA and The Soldier’s Charity - previously known as the Army Benevolent Fund - Major Wilson has already encouraged that these charities get behind the concept of R2R.

Charlie from R2R added: ’Without Charles’ drive and his desire to help people, which is very strong, it may not have happened.

’We are now committed to come over to the Isle of Man every month and Jamie and I will be coming back next week. If someone rings up the week after next and says "I really am thinking of killing myself" we’ll do a number of things, we will intervene.

’We’ll ring the police and say can you get round to this person, but if it’s needed we’ll pop a coach on a plane and get them over here as soon as we can to meet that person. It’s that immediacy of help that often gives them hope.’

R2R provides its support through professional coaching, as well as through events and workshops, peer support and a helpline.

’We don’t take a penny off them because they’ve given enough of themselves to the country,’ Charlie said.

’It’s not a charity, it’s a community interest company and there is one good reason for it, it’s purely and simply because if it’s a charity you get a load of trustees and the decision-making is very slow and the control is too much.

’We’re a very small team. There are only three paid employees and the coaches who do the work are self-employed.

’If someone was to ring us up or contact us on something like Facebook it allows us to react really quickly to their needs.’

R2R is supported by The Royal Marines Charity, Royal British Legion and other military-based charities.

Organisations that appreciate R2R’s work have also provided donations and support, including Connect2Recruitment, in Douglas, which has supplied office space for sessions.

’We’ve kept on going for four years on a shoe string,’ said Joy.

Joy and Charlie believe R2R offers another means of support for veterans with PTSD.

Charlie said: ’The military mental health people, the NHS, they do a huge amount of good for lots of people but sometimes what they do doesn’t work for individuals and it didn’t work for Jamie - who runs R2R.

’We’ve got the ability to spend more time with people, we’re well-funded, we’ve got people who support us because of the good we’re doing.

’We’re doing no more, no worse than anyone else. We too have our failures. Mental health is a very complicated thing and anyone who says they can deal with anybody is lying.’

Telling Jamie’s story, they said that he struggled after being asked to leave the Royal Marines after many years of serving due to a diagnosis of stress illness.

’It’s difficult to explain military life. You break that bond and it’s like losing a partner,’ Charlie said. ’It’s a mental image ... and that family connotation in your brain you start thinking "I’ve lost something", but you haven’t.

’Because everybody calls it a family and you’ve just been thrown out of the family that’s what it feels like.

’However, the family’s still there, as Jamie found when he reached out to people. Jamie wouldn’t mind us saying that he was pretty close to killing himself.’

Both he and Foxy went to see Malcolm Williams - who is now R2R’s chief coach - for help.

’Malcom did this wonderful stuff and Jamie and Foxy came away feeling a lot better about themselves, not cured because we don’t do cured,’ Charlie said.

’They thought "we need to help other people to understand because we know a lot of others who are like this" and that’s how it really started.’

Visit www.rock2recovery.co.uk or call 01395 222974.