After leaving the Army, Simon struggled with his mental health and was diagnosed with PTSD. His GP helped him access long-term counselling support; and Simon was signposted to The Poppy Factory, which has an employability service for veterans, funded by the ABF. Simon now has a job at Merseyrail.  

Simon joined the Army in 2010, aged 32, serving as a Reservist with the Royal Logistic Corps. He undertook tours of Afghanistan and the Middle East, achieving the rank of Lance Corporal before leaving the Army in 2016. 

Simon enjoyed his service but was profoundly affected by an incident during his deployment in Afghanistan. He didn’t realise at the time that this would have a total bearing on his life and would leave him with PTSD.   

In 2013, on the fourth night of his second tour of Afghanistan, an alarm sounded, warning of incoming mortars. Simon recalls:  

“I was in my sleeping bag, which I had zipped to my neck. But I couldn’t get out of it – I was trapped, arms by my side. The Sergeant next to me said, ‘Come on, mate, you need to get yourself out of the bag.’ Trying to get out, I fell. In my mind I was going to die. I did not share this event with anyone. I felt I was a fraud being stuck in my sleeping bag. I had not been operationally injured.”  

Simon couldn’t get past this incident, which sent him into a downward spiral. He decided to leave the Reserves. Living with his wife, and unemployed, he noticed that little things were getting on top of him. He stopped sleeping properly, getting just one or two hours each night for many months. He lost weight, stopped leaving the house and started to get into credit card debt.  

One night, Simon made the decision to take his own life and decided to go to a railway bridge close to his home at 2am. His wife was asleep at their home. Simon says:  

“I chose the bridge because I knew that the road behind it was quiet. I had everything organised – my will, emails ready to send automatically at a certain time. The one thing I didn’t check was whether the trains stopped running after midnight.  

“I was angry at myself that I hadn’t checked the times. I got off the bridge and walked home, thinking that I needed to get some help.” 

Simon went to see his GP the next morning and explained what had happened. The ex-forces GP cancelled the rest of his appointments and talked with Simon for the next three hours.  Simon says, “That night, I slept soundly.”  

Veterans in Mind provided Simon with counselling and eventually he was signposted to The Poppy Factory, which the ABF helps fund. Simon recalls: 

“My forces employment consultant, Andrew, was very supportive. He looked at me, and my interests, skills and abilities, as an individual. We worked on my CV and how to market myself.  Andrew helped me understand that I had plenty to offer and I started to only apply for jobs I wanted.” 

In 2023, Simon took a job at Merseyrail as a Station Assistant, working on the barriers in Liverpool city centre. Later, he received an award for helping someone who was in danger of taking their own life. He says: “I was able to relate to what he was going through. I was in the right place at the right time.” 

Simon was promoted and now works in Head Office, looking at ticket and fare systems.  Because of his mental health issues, Simon has talked at Merseyrail’s mental health week sessions. He says:  

“Andrew still remains supportive even though I am in employment. He literally changed my life. The support isn’t just about employment but everything to do with your life, which puts you in a better position for employment. I struggle to put into words what The Poppy Factory and the ABF, through its funding support, have achieved for me. Thank you.” 

The Poppy Factory is a long-term partner of the ABF and, in 2025, we awarded a grant of £100,000 towards its employment service for veterans.