PTSD Worldwide can be reached on 0844 567 9078 or at ptsdhelp@ptsdworldwide.org. Families can call 0844 567 9071 or email ptsdfamily@ptsdworldwide.org. The website, www.ptsdworldwide.org, will be operational within three weeks.
It appears that in the honour of their husbands a group of army wives have decided to pose naked for a charity calendar to raise money for the injured and scarred army personnel.
The wives are from all the three armed services in Britain who have been clicked nude in black and white for the ‘Garrison Girl' calendar. None of them have prior experience in modelling.
The props used are all related to armed forces like flag, items of military uniform. According to a website these wives hope to raise 60,000 pounds for the charity.
32-year-old Sarah Bennett Thurston, whose husband Paul serves in the Army said, “ I just wanted to do something positive as a military wife. It can be very very hard. It is hell waiting for the phone to ring. So there is a really strong bond of camaraderie between women involved in the military. "I couldn't believe there was no website or forum for people with PTSD. We all know guys going through hell, families going through hell.”
The former Scots Guard Lance Sergeant Alex Webster, 35, and other veterans offer their time free, manning telephone lines and emails alongside a website with anonymous forums for servicemen and women to discuss problems.
The Ministry of Defence says it has facilities to care for serving or ex-soldiers with mental health problems, but many are reluctant to come forward or do not know where to turn.
The project is being funded by a group of soldiers' wives and girlfriends, who posed (tastefully) nude for a "Garrison Girls" calendar which they sell for £10.
All of the volunteers involved in the helpline, PTSD Worldwide, have suffered combat stress after serving in a variety of conflicts from the Falklands to Afghanistan. Alongside the main facility will be a secondary helpline aimed at families and run by wives of veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"Serving soldiers can telephone or email us if they are scared to get help," said Mr Webster yesterday. "They can talk to another squaddie in confidence. We are not trained counsellors but we have been on the ground and we can advise them on where to seek help.
"If they are feeling depressed or have had a crap day, at least they have got someone who can chat and understand."
Garrison Girls provided the start-up costs. Set up by Sarah Bennett Thurston, the group includes wives and girlfriends from all ranks and services. Their 2009 calendar raised £6,000 for the charities Combat Stress and Help for Heroes.
Mr Webster, from Dundee, spent 10 years in the Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. "When you are in the Army you bury all the health issues because you don't want to appear weak," he said. "But you are definitely aware once you leave. I've suffered from a short temper, anxiety attacks and insomnia. It makes returning to civvie street extremely difficult."
The uniqueness about this calendar is that Garrison Girl represents wives of all forces, ranks and units.
*Here we have a some of poses for that calendar.( click image for enlarge............)
