ROYAL Wootton Bassett soldier Jo Hursey, who suffered PTSD after near death experiences in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan is the latest face to appear in a video campaign celebrating the bond between military veterans and Help for Heroes supporters.

It is the second in a series that started with engineer Simon Brown, who was blinded in Iraq, meeting five-year-old fundraiser Tempy Pattinson.

Jo, 41, meets Matthew Bamber, who hit the headlines when he hiked the Three Peaks carrying a fridge and tells him: “You’ve changed my life completely. The money that you guys raise really helps individuals like me and every day it changes for the better. I can’t thank you enough.”

She began suffering post-traumatic stress after she found herself trapped in a Saxon personnel carrier that had been petrol-bombed in Northern Ireland in 1996.

Years later in Afghanistan the Royal Logistic Corps driver found herself investigating horrific incidents involving vehicles.

“Some of the things I saw in those places had massive after-effects for me. I just didn’t realise it at the time,” she said.

In fact it wasn’t until this year that she was diagnosed with the condition, along with depression, anxiety, osteoarthritis and a hearing impairment.

“I was angry all the time. I was worried about things I couldn’t change. I was drinking to help myself sleep. I was thinking about all the things I had seen. I didn’t wake up screaming but I did have nightmares. I can’t be in enclosed spaces or lifts. I can’t be in a crowded place with lots of noise – there’s too much noise in my head.”

Now, based at Buckley Barracks, Hullavington, she is receiving therapy to help her separate her ordinary life from army life.

Sales manager Matthew, 42, from Milton Keynes, raised £7,500 for the Wiltshire-based charity, hiking 50 miles non-stop in mountainous terrain with a fridge on his back.

He said: “It came from looking at our military’s history and the weights on the packs that they carry. During the Falklands campaign the troops were carrying around 30 to 35kg in their packs through that sort of terrain.

“If you carry a rucksack people can’t quite see the weight of the rucksack, so if you strap a fridge on your back, people all of a sudden get it.

The film is part of the Facing it Together campaign, which aims to show audiences the tangible differences that Help for Heroes supporters make to the lives of veterans and their families.

Mark Elliott, who helped set up the charity in 2007 and is current Advocacy Ambassador for Help for Heroes, said: “This film demonstrates the extraordinary and very different journeys Jo and Matthew have both gone to achieve their goals.

“Jo is a remarkable woman who serves her country and has shown incredible inner strength to recover from some very traumatic experiences. Matthew is just an ordinary guy who has tested his body to the limit and shown grit and determination to help people like Jo.

He added: “We are humbled and truly grateful for all the support and donations received, which changes the lives of our Heroes for the better - and no-one can ask for more than that.”

To see the video visit: helpforheroes.org.uk/see-the-difference/stories/jo-matt/