Former veteran 'lost for words' at surprise event

8 hours ago

Kevin Reidein Nuneaton

News image — Scott Caswell (left) standing with his brother who described him as "a hero"

BBC Two men are standing next to each other with their hands behind their backs. The man on the left is wearing a grey t-shirt. The man on the right is wearing a black blazer, tie and badges. — Scott Caswell (left) standing with his brother who described him as "a hero"

A former veteran said he was "lost for words" after a surprise event was held in his honour, to celebrate his charity work.

Scott Caswell has taken part in annual charity challenges for police and veterans including back-to-back marathons, and was recently awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his work.

The serving police officer thought he was attending a talk about support for veterans in Nuneaton and it was "a shock" to find that charity members from Veterans Contact Point had gathered to celebrate him.

"It was a nice shock and quite overwhelming if I'm being honest," he said.

Caswell recently ran 40 miles a day for five days and cycling in between, the equivalent of five ultra-marathons, to raise money for two veterans charities.

It was the 14th year that he had taken on a challenge to raise money for charity, including one-mile laps around Warwickshire Police HQ for 24 hours and walking five miles a day with a military backpack and respirator on.

Warwickshire Police A man is wearing camouflage uniform and a military hat, while holding a rifle. — Caswell was deployed to Northern Ireland and Bosnia during his military career

During Caswell's time as a solider, he was deployed to places such as Northern Ireland, Republic of Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"The veterans are first in everything I do, these are individuals who make a conscious effort to sign up for King and country," he said.

He added that he was passionate that people should hold veterans "close to their hearts", and that they are owed an "ongoing gratitude" for what they do.

His fundraising journey started when PC Caswell was sent out to a report of a man standing on a motorway bridge threatening to take his own life. When he arrived, he realised it was his brother standing there.

Labour MP for Nuneaton Jodie Gosling said she vowed to do more to help veterans, at a time when homeless and mental health issues among them are rising.

"Strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant is going to be really strong piece of legislation to make sure that services wrap themselves around veterans," she said.

Caswell plans to run from the tower of Warwick Castle to the Tower of London for his next challenge.

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