A veteran who served in the Royal Military Police says he has turned his life around after seeking support from a force's charity.

Lance Chisolm, from Wisbech, now helps other veterans in need of mental health support through the charity that helped him called the RFEA (the forces employment charity)

Inspired by his parents who were both in the Royal Military Police, he pursued a forces career at the age of 17.

He then served in his role until 2017 when he left owing to medical discharge related to nerve damage, which meant losing his career and married quarters.

Lance was unsure what direction to take his civilian career after leaving.

He had plans to fall back into being a travelling naan bread salesman but that went out of the window due to Covid, which caused uncertainty and contributed to a decline in his mental health.

Suffering from PTSD, Lance struggled to secure employment but, spurred on by his wife’s pregnancy, he reached out to the RFEA for help.

“The hardest thing is knowing what to do,” he said.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do and that can be quite daunting, but my advisor made me realise that doing something is better than doing nothing.

“She was a massive help, funnelling my ideas and pointing me in the right direction of training courses."

He added: Thanks to her guidance and support, I gained qualifications that have led to my current job as a peer support worker, helping people with their mental health issues.”

RFEA’s chief executive, Alistair Halliday said: “Whilst most veterans make the transition to ‘civvy’ street with relative ease, utilising the excellent support available through the charity proves that veterans sometimes fail to appreciate the value they can bring to the civilian jobs market.

“Our teams are so committed to supporting ex-forces, and their loved ones, to find meaningful and fulfilling jobs.

“We provide an invaluable 1-1 support service to make sure our clients have everything they need to showcase the value and relevance of their experience to civilian employers.

“By doing so, we bring about life changing transformations for thousands of veterans, and their families, every year.”