Tom Knight

Regional Manager, North West

Tom is our Regional Manager in the North West and is responsible for the operational delivery, relationship management and strategic planning within the region. He is also our subject matter expert in one of our leading support programmes, Support Care Coordination.

Having served in the Royal Marines, including operational deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Arctic warfare training in Norway and across the world, Tom subsequently commenced his employment at Walking With The Wounded in 2015 and therefore fully understands the struggles that some face when transitioning out of the Armed Forces.

email: tom.knight@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07833 226 485

Barry Collins

Barry has been working in the field of social value and sustainability for 25 years, setting up Collins McHugh CSR some 18 years ago and in recent years has been supporting Walking With The Wounded's corporate engagement by highlighting the impact of our work.

Collins McHugh has worked with some of the country's best known companies and their work spans the public, private and charity sectors. Producing sustainability, social value and ESG reports for organisations as diverse as the Co-op Group, British Transport Police, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Yodel and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Barry is AA1000 accredited and a qualified Social Value Practitioner and can also accredit reports to the Global Reporting Initiative requirements and advise on structuring reports to meet those requirements.

“Our partnership with Walking With The Wounded stretches back many years and their work is outstanding. The issues they address not only help thousands of veterans every year, but support communities, address underlying issues in society and drive positive change. For companies serious about driving real change in society we never hesitate to put forward WWTW, and I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for this outstanding organisation.”

Victoria Wales BEM FIEP

Regional Manager, North East

Vicky leads on the regional business development and strategic operational delivery of WWTW across the North East. Managing the North East’s Integrated Regional Services and leading the regional delivery of Op Courage, in partnership with the NHS.

Vicky is a fellow of the Institute of Employability FIEP and leads the WWTW IPS Employment Program and oversees employment teams across the country. Vicky sits on the Step Into Health partnership board, which is a joint initiative between the NHS, WWTW and Royal Foundation.

Vicky is an Army Veteran and member of the Wounded, Injured, Sick (WIS) Community. It is through her service and becoming medically discharged, that Vicky is a passionate advocate for veterans transitioning from service and will always strive to provide the best possible service for people who served our country.

email: victoria.wales@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07517907859

Heather Saunders

Regional Manager, South

Heather began her career in HR in the public sector, and then took up a position in the private sector working for a recruitment advertising agency where she supported organisations from the public, private and charitable sectors in attracting and recruiting staff.

In 2013, Heather moved into the Armed Forces charitable sector, working with employers to support wounded, injured and sick service leavers and veterans into employment. As WWTW’s Regional Manager for the South, Heather leads a multidisciplinary team of employment advisors, support care coordinators and veteran liaison support officers; engages and develops relationships with partner organisations and is WWTW’s lead representative across the region.

Heather loves to see her team working together, achieving outstanding outcomes for their clients.

email: heather.saunders@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07980 912 439

Tom Evans

Tom is a former officer in the Welsh Guards who set the ultrarunning scene on fire by finishing third at the 2017 Marathon des Sables (the highest-ever British finisher) while raising money for Walking With The Wounded. He has since turned professional, sponsored by Adidas, Redbull and Sungod, and in 2023 won the iconic Western States 100 after securing his first podium finish at the UTMB in 2022.

“As a former officer in the Welsh Guards, I have seen the great work that Walking With The Wounded has done. The support provided by the charity goes such a long way and I am so proud to be an ambassador."

Look our for Tom's trademark salute when he crosses the line.

Carolyn Brown

Clinical Lead, Head Start

Carolyn has been with WWTW since 2018 and during this time has seen a huge increase in referrals into our mental health programme, Head Start. We offer evidence-based therapies to ex-servicemen and women who are struggling with their mental health. Carolyn has been working within the military charity sector for 12 years and prior to this worked on acute psychiatric wards and in community settings in Australia and the UK. Carolyn feels privileged to support ex-service personnel and is proud of the outstanding service Head Start delivers, which was endorsed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Quality Network.

email: carolyn.brown@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07557 655 917

Maria Fisher

Maria is married to Matt, a wounded veteran, and mother to two girls. She has supported WWTW since her husband joined the charity's Walk of Britain expedition and since then has gone out of her way to raise the profile and valuable funds for the charity - most notably by organising community walks as part of Walking Home For Christmas.

Matt, a former Rifleman, was shot in the foot while serving in Afghanistan and had to have his lower left leg amputated. Despite this, he walked 1,000 miles across the UK with the WWTW team in 2015 raising funds and awareness to support others.

Maria said: “As a wife of an injured soldier, I have witnessed first hand the struggles of overcoming a life-changing injury and most difficult of all, letting go of a job you were so passionate about. Finding a new career and drive in life was by far the hardest thing we as a couple have had to overcome.

"Walking With the Wounded recognised Matt's potential as they have in so many others, their help to both vulnerable men and women is invaluable and I am thrilled to have been asked to become an official Ambassador.”

Paul Nanson

Trustee

Major General (Retired) Paul Nanson CB CBE, was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 1986 and spent his early military career serving in Germany during the Cold War, in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, Cyprus, Zimbabwe, Bosnia and in the First Gulf War.

Later he commanded a company and a battalion on operations in Iraq and served with the United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan. He was Chief of Staff of the 1st (UK) Armoured Division and commanded the 7th Armoured Brigade, ‘The Desert Rats’.

His last post in the Army was as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Director Leadership (Army), and head of the Army’s Recruiting and Initial Training Command.

He retired from the Army in 2020 and has set up his own leadership business, consulting, coaching and speaking. He is Patron to the Military Preparation College for Training and the charity ‘Deptherapy;’ a trustee for the Desert Rats Association; Leadership Ambassador for the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation; and Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Army Music.

'Having served in the military for a number of years, I am keen to try and pay something back. Waking With The Wounded has provided me with the perfect vehicle - a hugely committed organisation with shared values and a proven track record of helping those who struggle with life after service.’

Alie Salford

Head Start Programme Manager

Alie is our Head Start Programme Manager, leading WWTW’s mental health support programme. Alie is a highly experienced and dedicated registered nurse who has made significant contributions to the mental health field throughout her career.

In addition to extensive clinical and advisory experience, Alie has also made numerous contributions at a national level. Her collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health has allowed her to influence mental health policies and practices on a larger scale across the UK. Alie also held a non-executive director role for the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee within the Ministry of Defence in 2022.

email: alie.salford@wwtw.org.uk

Flora Mclean

Trustee

Flora is a Partner in the structured and asset finance team at Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in London. She also took part in the gruelling Marathon des Sables in aid of Walking With The Wounded in 2018 in order to raise vital funds for our wounded ex-servicemen and women.

Scott Johnson

Scott is an ex-Royal Engineer and the founder of Veteran Owned UK (VOUK) to help support ex-military business owners.

Inspired by the prevalence of veteran-owned businesses in the USA, Scott decided to start the first veteran-owned business directory for the UK, providing members of the public user-friendly access to support veterans in their community.

WWTW was introduced to VOUK after they took part in Walking Home For Christmas 2020, raising an incredible £5,148 as an organisation to help support those who served. Since getting involved in the fundraising campaign in December 2020, Scott became an Ambassador and gives his time to supporting WWTW’s fundraising ambitions through introductions to other organisations who wish to benefit from supporting the cause and also sharing his experience by mentoring key staff.

“I am very pleased to be supporting Walking With The Wounded after seeing the amazing work the organisation does in helping veterans. Adding WWTW to the VOUK list of Partners allows VOUK to give something back and play a small part in helping raise more awareness of this outstanding charity and the work they do.”

www.veteran-owned.uk

Dr Alan Finnegan

Trustee

Dr Alan Finnegan PhD RN FRCN FRSA SF FAAN, is Professor of Nursing and Military Mental Health (MMH) and Director of the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans at the University of Chester. He served in the British Army and reached the rank of Colonel, with his appointments including: the MoD Nurse Consultant in Military Mental Health (MMH) and the MOD Nursing Advisor in MMH. Alan was Senior Military Nurse and Commanding Officer at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine during the peak of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns. His final appointment was as the first MoD Professor of Nursing. He completed operational tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Balkans, Northern Ireland and South Africa. Since commencing at the University of Chester in 2016, Alan has been appointed as the principal investigator for over 35 research projects totalling over £8 million.

"I was working at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in 2010 when the severely injured casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan were being returned for definitive clinical treatment in Birmingham. The same year saw the founding of Walking With The Wounded. The Charity immediately struck a chord with the country, and ever since their charitable endeavours and commitment speaks volumes of a willingness to improve the quality of life for vulnerable veterans. It is an honour to be a member of the Board of Trustees."

Kate Tabain

Head of Fundraising

Kate leads the Central Fundraising team which encompasses Events, Trusts and Foundations, Individual Giving, and Legacies.

Kate has worked in the third sector both in the UK and Australia for over a decade, and has a variety of experience in project management, trust and foundations, business development, corporate fundraising, and clinical delivery. With a Bachelors in Psychology and Masters in Clinical Music Therapy, Kate brings a wealth of knowledge from both a fundraising and service delivery perspective. Working at WWTW enables Kate to support communities she cares about – those who have served with mental health difficulties, vulnerable families, or who are socially isolated, as well as empowering the teams she works with.

email: kate.tabain@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07935 754 239

Patsy Legenger

Patsy is ex-RAF and a key champion of Ex-Armed Forces in business in the North East.

She joined the RAF in 1988 on a YTS aged 17 and served as an Aerospace Systems Operator for over 11 years.

During that time she was placed at Neatishead, the Air Defence Notification Centre London and 1 Air Control Centre in the UK and abroad, and completed two tours of the Falkland Islands.

After leaving the RAF in 1999 Patsy has used her skills gained from the RAF and worked across the world in operations and project management in telecommunications, marine navigation, finance and logistics organisations before becoming being Head of Operations at Newcastle Strategic Solutions Ltd where she was integral to forging a significant and impactful partnership with Walking With The Wounded.

Patsy has continued to support her Armed Forces and veteran community throughout her civilian life and most recently has received acknowledgement of her contribution by receiving an award from the Women in Finance organisation, named as Woman of the Year 2022 and a special recognition from the Ex-Armed Forces in Business Awards 2022 for her contribution to the North East veteran community through her work with Walking With The Wounded and The Royal British Legion.

She is now UK Director of Operations at OsecoElfab.

Louise Kavanagh

Trustee

Louise is a qualified accountant (ACMA, CGMA), and works for Network Rail as a Finance Director. As well as financial management, Louise has a diverse range of experience, including business strategy and planning, commercial and supplier management, and organisational change delivery. Louise joined Walking With The Wounded as a trustee in December 2019, having previously been a trustee for the Charter Quality Institute.

Maya Gagni

Maya is a therapist with Walking With The Wounded providing Click Therapies.

Click Therapies support WWTW with some of our online therapy. Their CBT therapists are registered with the British Association of Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).

“Being part of someone’s journey is a privilege. Being entrusted with someone’s inner thoughts, feelings and trust feels important. Every time a client experiences a change in their difficulties it is a step closer to living a full life in its potential.”

Sally Orange MBE

Endurance Runner, Adventurer and Mental Health Champion

Sally is a beneficiary of Walking With The Wounded’s Head Start mental health programme, having openly sought support following 22 years of military service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, which included an operational tour of duty in Afghanistan.

She is now a multi record-breaking adventure athlete, passionate mental health campaigner and inspirational speaker.

She said: "I literally owe my life to WWTW as they were there for me when no-one else was, when I felt I had no reason to live. As a Reservist who’s illness was not due to an operational tour, I fell through the gaps of where I could get the treatment I needed, but WWTW were flexible in their thinking.

"I still see the therapist WWTW found for me to this day, as I now know how important it is to keep on top of my illness and manage it, rather that let it manage me.

"It is a great honour to be asked to champion WWTW and I’m excited about working together to help other veterans in the future who find themselves in difficult times."

Sally is the only person to complete a marathon on every continent dressed as different pieces of fruit. She has completed 8 full triathlons and 82 marathons (including 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 consecutive days). She has cycled in the 3000+ mile Race Across America (RAAM) and cycled the length of New Zealand and of Britain on three separate occasions. She has run the Marathon des Sable, the toughest footrace on Earth in the Sahara Desert, and run the length of Iceland. She has also rowed and swum the English Channel. She holds six Guinness World Records and four Invictus Games medals.

Sally served as a physiotherapist in the British Army for 22 years, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan treating severely injured casualties, and has volunteered for over 30 years, raising more than £800,000 for 50 charities. When she’s not undertaking record-breaking endurance achievements (often dressed in thoughtfully chosen costumes to raise a smile and start conversations around mental health), Sally is the focus of inspirational speaking engagements, attended by audiences of all ages.

Everyone is captivated by the modest, engaging and approachable way she shares the mental health and resilience learnings she has gathered from a career in the British Army and decades of volunteering and undertaking gruelling physical challenges all over the world. 

www.sallyorange.com

Ben Amponsah

Ben is a psychotherapist, consultant, coach and trainer and has been supporting Walking With The Wounded clients with their mental health issues for a number of years.

Brian Wood MC

Former Colour Sergeant, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment

Brian is a former Colour Sergeant with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment with an extraordinary story of overcoming adversity and who has raised more than £200,000 for WWTW.

In November 2021, he set the veteran community alight with his Ultimate Sacrifice Challenge, running a mile for every British fatality in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts in which he served - an incredible 25 marathons in 25 days.

In 2022, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Balkans, he ran 35 marathons over 35 days - a total of 917 miles - for the British lives lost in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Brian was awarded the Military Cross, one of Britain’s highest awards for gallantry in combat, by Her Majesty The Queen II, following his courageous leadership under enemy fire in Iraq in the Battle of Danny Boy.

In the heat of a lethal close quarters battle, fighting outnumbered, he seized the initiative, taking a split-second decision to lead his men into the teeth of enemy fire in the first bayonet charge by British soldiers in 25 years - which has subsequently been turned into a BBC Two drama.

Leading from the front, he put his own life in great danger. Under his command, Brian’s men defeated the enemy without sustaining any serious casualties themselves. Their actions that day saved many other soldiers’ lives.

Despite this Brian was later subjected to a lengthy legal investigation about what happened that day - with all allegations eventually being thrown out and leading to his bestselling book 'Double Crossed' about the fight to clear his name.

During a 16 year military career, Brian led British troops across the full spectrum of battle from training to fighting; from operations in the Balkans to high intensity combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and now represents those who fell and those who need support.

He has helped champion Walking With The Wounded's Walking Home For Christmas campaign, created the 'Longest Day Challenge' event in partnership with his Keep Attacking brand, and supported the charity's mental health and employment programmes to get those who served, and their families, back on their feet and able to make a positive contribution once more.

Luke D'Arcy

Trustee

Luke has over 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing. He is UK President of Momentum Worldwide, a leading global experiential agency, and is a Harvard Business School alumni. Luke previously worked at Virgin as Partnership Director of their Formula 1 team.

Ibrar Ali MC

Ibi was part of WWTW's South Pole expedition in 2013. He served as an Army officer in Iraq where he was seriously injured, losing his lower right arm, and earned a Military Cross for his actions that day.

Ibi, was born in Rotherham to Kashmiri parents who emigrated to the UK in the 1970s. He was educated through the state school system and went on to study Law at university and it was there that he decided to look into a career in the British Army.

Having spent some of his time whilst at university in the Reserves, he eventually entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to begin his officer training. Ibi went on to commission into the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire (PWO) in 2004, (later amalgamated into the Yorkshire Regiment), which is a light role Infantry unit.

Ibi deployed on his first operational tour in October 2006 to Basrah, Iraq. It was in February 2007 whilst on this deployment that Ibi was seriously injured when a number of roadside bombs were detonated against the three vehicle patrol that he was commanding.

One soldier was fatally injured and three were seriously injured including Private Chris Herbert who had his right leg amputated and Ibi had his right arm amputated as well as suffering injuries to his left arm and both legs.

Ibi was awarded the Military Cross in July 2007 for his actions during this incident.

On his return to the UK, Ibi was hospitalised for six weeks and then spent a further six months in rehabilitation at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) Headley Court, Surrey. Whilst conducting rehabilitation, Ibi decided that he’d like to remain in-service if at all possible and worked with his chain of command and therapists to give him the best opportunity to do that.

Having successfully completed rehabilitation and passed all the Infantry standard tests, in October 2008, Ibi was able to return back to Iraq on his second operational tour, spending two months in Basrah again before completing five months in Baghdad on secondment to the NATO Mission.

In 2012, Ibi took on his final military role which was a seven month deployment to Helmand, Afghanistan. In this role, Ibi was often required to live and work with the local law enforcement organisations for long periods of time in quite testing conditions. A role he very much enjoyed until leaving the Army in 2013 and joining Walking With The Wounded's South Pole Allied Challenge.

Ibi currently lives near Selby in North Yorkshire and has a teenage daughter who keeps him on his toes. Having spent four years at KPMG and promoted to Senior Manager he decided to take a short sabbatical to focus on some charity work. Ibi tries to remain active however possible and enjoys reading if he can get 10 minutes to himself.

He has been a regular at WWTW's Cumbrian Challenge and represented the charity at numerous speaking events over the years to support the cause.

James Hibbert

Trustee

James owns bespoke tailoring business Dress2Kill and has developed ideas in partnership with House of Fraser including The Great Retail Revival Foundation. James founded Walking With The Wounded Christmas fundraising campaign, Walking Home For Christmas, in 2013. This successful campaign has become one of our biggest annual events and has raised life-changing funds for wounded veterans.

“At the moment more veterans die of suicide than in actual combat and this is preventable. It is also a shocking statistic which needs to change. Walking With The Wounded works tirelessly to support the mental wellbeing and welfare of ex-Forces personnel and I am passionate about helping this great cause.”

Mark Richardson

Mark is the director of national security EMEA at Planet Labs, a company driven by a mission to image all of Earth’s landmass every day so that humanity can use space to help life on Earth.

A Physicist by training, Mark spent over 10 years working for the UK Ministry of Defence in Security Policy and Operations with Frontline units and at the Strategic Headquarters, deploying alongside British Armed forces internationally including to Afghanistan.

www.planet.com

Sharon Hughes

Financial Controller

Sharon joined Walking With The Wounded in 2012 and oversees the day-to-day finance operation. She is based out of the Norfolk office and, along with her team, provides WWTW colleagues with any finance related support they require.

Sharon has worked in varied areas of finance during her career, mainly in education and charities, and is particularly passionate about working with veterans as she has close family connections to all the services.

Sharon’s favourite times of the year at WWTW are the Cumbrian Challenge and Walking Home for Christmas events where she enjoys meeting fundraisers and beneficiaries alike and sharing the love for all things Walking With The Wounded.

email: sharon.hughes@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07585 441 469

Tommy Watson

Director of Operations

As the Director of Operations Tommy leads on the development of the integrated regional services that support vulnerable veterans to re-integrate back into society and sustain their independence. Tommy has 12 years of experience in veterans support, and 26 years of military experience, which gives him a deep understanding of the needs and challenges of our beneficiaries and partners. 

Tommy is passionate about delivering high-quality, bespoke support to those who served, whether in a community or clinical pathway. Tommy’s main aim is to build operational reach and resilience into our services, and to collaborate with various stakeholders across the UK to make a positive impact on the lives of veterans and their families.

email: tommy.watson@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07741 872 278

Adam Hughes

Trustee

Adam was the Global Head of Transformation that represented over a third of PA Consulting Group and a Board Director at PA Consulting, the innovation and transformation consultancy. He is an experienced international business leader with an exceptional career built over the last 25 years. His significant international experience has been through leading teams focussing on the introduction of transformative technology and managing client relationships in the UK, Europe, the Nordics and MENA.

Col Lucy Giles

Colonel Giles was the first female Commander of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in its 200-year history and has run the infamous Marathon des Sables for Walking With The Wounded.

“I am absolutely delighted to be an Ambassador for Walking With The Wounded. Not only is this a charity that links closely with my experience as an officer in the British Army, but I have also seen first-hand the impact on beneficiaries of the money that we collectively raise. I have been in the military for over 30 years and will never stop striving for equality of opportunity or treating people with equity both personally and professionally. In my role as Ambassador, I pledge to champion the work that the charity does and support our beneficiaries by raising money and awareness.”

Lucy joined the Army in 1992 and saw regimental duty in Germany, followed by tours of Bosnia and in South Africa. On being promoted to Major, she was posted to 5 Airborne Brigade with tours to East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Bosnia again.

Lucy commanded 47 Air Despatch Squadron Royal Logistic Corps enabling operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before joining Headquarters Directorate Royal Logistic Corps. This was followed by a tour at a training regiment and a teaching appointment at the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

At the inaugural Women in Defence event in 2016, Lucy was given the Inspirational Award and the Woman of the Year Award.

She is an ambassador for First Women UK, was in the Times 500 People of Influence 2016 and featured on the BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2021.

Lucy also competes at orienteering at Armed Forces level and has completed various fundraising challenges in WWTW colours raising valuable funds and awareness for the charity.

Dirk Hansen

Dirk is located within the Warwickshire region and has a private practice based in Leamington Spa. He has worked in the field of counselling and mental health for over 25 years and has qualifications in both the UK and the USA. He uses evidence-based methods in his counselling practice and has accumulated useful knowledge by working in numerous clinical settings, and with a variety of individuals with diverse needs.

“I hope that WWTW services will continue to expand in the Warwickshire area. I am impressed by the coordination of services that are available and look forward to providing specialist support to ex-personnel in this region in the future.”

Andrew Delve

IT Manager

Andrew is responsible for all the Information Technology systems and heads the IT support team. His focus areas include the charity’s continued digital transformation and data security.

He brings over 20 years’ experience in IT and prior to joining WWTW, he lived in the Sultanate of Oman working as Head of IT for a group of corporate companies based in Muscat. Wishing to repatriate back to the UK and to transfer his skills to the charity sector, he joined Walking With the Wounded. As the son of an RAF Navigator the opportunity to work for a charity supporting veterans and their families was the perfect role to move home for.

When he’s not on a computer Andrew is either walking his two rescue dogs or riding his Harley.

email: andrew.delve@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07547 404 836

Carol Potter

Carol has worked with WWTW for the last four years. She is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Integrative Counsellor.

“I work in several different mental health-based settings but have a huge preference for my work with WWTW. Often when clients are referred, they are at their most vulnerable. They may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, feeling completely worthless, experiencing flashbacks and intrusive thoughts, or be angry at everything. Some clients feel dissociated and report not actually experiencing any emotions, just ‘numbness’. This will of course, often be having a bearing on the people around them. 

"With gentle trauma-based CBT therapy, clients can make a huge turnaround. Often, they find that their anger diminishes, flashbacks stop, sleep improves and relationships with others begin to flourish. Clients report that they can go about daily life activities feeling more confident within themselves and experiencing pleasure once again.”

Damian Beeley

Trustee

Damian is a Partner at Haggie Partners, a leading financial PR and corporate communications consultancy in the City of London. Having begun his career in the City in 1990, he was then a financial journalist in Asia from 1994 to 1998. Since then he has been advising companies and individuals on public relations and media engagement.

“Coming from a military family and having many friends who have served, Walking With The Wounded represents to me the very best opportunity to give something back to the incredible veterans' community. Too often we take their service for granted, and assume that once they leave the forces, their journey is done; WWTW has taught me that is not the case, and those veterans have earned the very best support”.

Dan Searson

Director of Operations, Challenge The Wild

Dan is leading a D-Day expedition in 2024 in aid of Walking With The Wounded. He served as an Army Officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps, during which time he was deployed to the Balkans, East Africa and the Middle East; and as a Mountain Leader, he led expeditions to the Pyrenees, Alps, the Sierra Nevada, Dolomites, Peru and Mount Kenya. He was awarded several British Army Commendations during his service.

“I am thrilled to be appointed a Military Ambassador for Walking With The Wounded. I share the same values and am passionate about supporting the charity and the veteran community.

"Being outdoors has so many benefits for a person’s physical and mental wellbeing and is a powerful tool in recovery. Through my support, I hope to continue to promote the essential work carried out by the amazing team at Walking With The Wounded, and empower more veterans to succeed."

On leaving the military, Dan established Challenge The Wild, an outdoor based company that specialises in providing events that are unique, raise the profile of veterans, improves the physical and mental wellbeing of participants and build exceptional teams. Dan has extensive experience in event management, and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Humanitarian Response; and has been awarded certificates in Health and Safety for Managers and Medical Planning. He thrives on ensuring others achieve their goals through a rigorous approach to planning and delivery. Dan is supported by a brilliant team at Challenge The Wild, most of which are veterans.

His grandfather landed on Juno Beach on D-Day in WW2 and left Dan vials of sand taken from the beach that day to return at some point - the basis of the 2024 expedition to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion.

Dan has supported Walking With The Wounded for many years and has delivered numerous fundraising events during that period including adventure challenges, the Walk of Oman (Reimagined) and supporting on a walk from London to Manchester for the charity's 'Walking Home For Christmas' campaign. Challenge The Wild also support the charity's beneficiaries, through a programme of Adventure Retreats.

www.challengethewild.com

Dick Turpin

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Dick served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and 7th Gurkha Rifles from 1976 to 1988, before leaving the Army to pursue a career in the financial sector. He spent 30 years working in asset management, including Merrill Lynch, Baring Asset Management and ABN Amro. For his last 16 years, he was a Partner of Artemis Investment Management LLP, who were the lead sponsor of the 2011 North Pole Expedition as well as many other events over years including the Balmoral Challenge and Cycle Horsmonden. Dick retired from Artemis in 2018.

Joel Oxberry

Director of Income & Marcomms

Joel leads on the development and implementation of the Fundraising and Marcomms strategy and is responsible for the management of a nationwide team of fundraisers, marketeers and communication specialists.

Having worked within the third sector for over a decade, Joel has experience in a wide variety of verticals and has specialised in key relationship management, high net-worth stewardship and bid-writing. Key achievements include working within a team which delivered support to victims of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and more recently, in successfully implementing a strategy to grow income during the Covid pandemic.

He is passionate about supporting the Armed Forces community and wants all ex-military personnel to thrive after leaving service.

email: joel.oxberry@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 07741 644 239

Tony Hulton

Chief Executive Officer

Tony joined Walking With The Wounded in 2023 and is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the charity, bringing experience of the public, private and third sector. He has held senior leadership roles in the technology sector with Daraz an Alibaba Group Company, as CEO of an award-winning international charity Vision for a Nation and as a civil servant with the Department for International Development.

Tony’s career has been focused on trying to solve some of the most complex social and economic challenges that affect vulnerable societies, and he has worked globally including in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and across Africa. His early career was in the British Army with operational tours in Iraq and the Balkans. He is the third generation of his family to have served in the Armed Forces and is passionate about ensuring veterans can thrive after service. He has an MBA from Henley Business School, MA from the War Studies Department at King's College London and BA from London School of Economics. When not at the desk Tony can be found with his family or up a mountain.

email: tony.hulton@wwtw.org.uk

mobile: 0759 655 8616

WWTW Press