The boxing club helping veterans rebuild lives

When Ian Dewey left the Army after more than 13 years of service, he struggled to adjust to civilian life.

The 47-year-old veteran had served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but said life outside the forces felt unfamiliar and isolating.

"I left the forces and didn't know what it was, but [I found] people a bit slow," he said.

"They could not get things done quick enough, with the speed and accuracy of what we were like in the army."

Dewey eventually stopped working and became a stay-at-home father to his youngest daughter, but said he still found everyday life difficult.

"With the trials and tribulations [of day-to-day life], it just was not the environment I was used to," he said.

Years later, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He also suffered from a nerve disorder known as hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) which results in sudden, recurring episodes of numbness, tingling and muscle weakness after mild pressure or everyday activities.

Dewey, from Telford, Shropshire, also had 10 degenerative discs in his spine, leading to stiffness and pain.

In September 2021, he attempted to take his own life.

"I wasn't in a good place," he said. "I wasn't in the environment that I was comfortable with anymore so I tried to [die by] suicide."

The experience convinced him that many former service personnel can struggle to find support from people who have not shared similar experiences.

"I got given a doctor to speak to [about my PTSD, who was] a civilian who didn't really understand the ethos the Army installs in its soldiers," he said.

Dewey believes veterans are often best placed to help one another.

"As soon as a veteran starts talking to another veteran, it is like they are still in service," he said.

"You feel at ease with everybody there because everybody's the same."

That belief helped inspire him to set up boxing sessions for former service personnel.

After being reintroduced to the sport by a friend, Dewey trained as a coach and began running classes aimed at bringing veterans together, setting up Fierce Pride Boxing for Veterans.

The sessions are held at Donnington Amateur Boxing Club and the Christopher Turley Armed Forces Hub in Telford, and are open to anyone, although they were founded with veterans in mind.

"If you are a veteran and this can benefit you, come," he said. "Turn up and I will shake your hand and give you a training top."

For some who attend, the sessions have become about far more than boxing.

Mike Smith, 78, served in Northern Ireland and Yemen. After leaving the Army, he said there was something missing from his life.

Smith, who has lost his hearing and has Parkinson's disease, said the classes had made a huge difference.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Ian," he said.

"Coming in and just having a chat, having some banter about the old days. It is not like going back but it just gives you something to look at."

He said the group had given him purpose at a time when many people his age were slowing down.

"I could be like every older person, sitting back watching Coronation Street, [drinking a] pint of beer, but no, I am the top of my tree," he said.

"My mum's gone, my dad's gone, all my brothers and sisters have gone, and here I am.

"What gives me that reason for wanting to live and carry on? People like Ian, people like these events that we have here in Shropshire."

• If you have been affected by issued raised in this article, help is available via the BBC's Action Line pages

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.