An Army veteran with PTSD has put his pedals to the metal to raise a record £487,000 for other ex-soldiers in turmoil.
Ex-sergeant Steve Craddock is now Help for Heroes’ top fundraiser after cycling 60,000 miles through Africa, Asia and Europe.
He says riding alongside amputees and other wounded veterans inspired him to push on through “blazing heat, biblical rain and dramatic climbs” in a series of challenges over 12 years.
Steve, 62 – who also organised 50 non-cycling events to raise the huge sum – said: “The pain for a lot of guys continues when the guns fall silent. I had a solid home background and I still really struggled.
“When I started out it was just to raise a bit of cash and get fit. I never imagined this.”
The former Royal Engineer left the Army in 1989 after a 15-year career.
Tours in Northern Ireland left him battling flashbacks and anxiety which he tried to blot out with booze.
Screaming
It came to a head one night when he grabbed frightened wife Beverley, 60, in his sleep during a combat nightmare.
Steve recalled: “Her screaming woke me up. I had become someone I didn’t recognise.”
The incident in 2006 prompted him to seek medical help and get in touch with Help for Heroes.
He joined its 350-mile Big Battlefield Bike Ride from Normandy to Paris in 2007, despite being 19st.
“I was so unfit,” he says. “But seeing amputees doing it spurred me on.”
He has entered every year since, raising £2,500 a time. And cycling has helped him manage the PTSD diagnosed by his GP in 2010.
Steve explained: “The GP made me see my symptoms were in many ways a normal reaction to what I’d seen.
"The worst thing were clearances after bombs in Northern Ireland, which I did four or five times.
"People walking, talking one minute were left as lumps of meat. After my first tour I found out my close mate had his head blown off. I was just 18.”
After quitting the Army, Steve worked for a CCTV firm and builder’s merchant – but his underlying symptoms were made worse by his estranged brother’s suicide 14 years ago. He’s now on medication for PTSD.
Steve said: “Counselling was not for me. But cycling helps you clear your head.”
Last year, Steve, of Chatham, Kent, led five huge cycling efforts across Africa and Europe to raise £8,000. These included a 350-mile ride in Zambia and 430 miles down the length of Portugal.
He said: “In Africa, we often cycled through sand and 35C heat at altitude.
I thought Portugal would be warm but it rained with biblical proportions.” Steve also arranges charity dinners and auctions.
This year he hopes to hit £500,000 by riding 2,200 miles over 22 days from France to Romania.
Now down to 13.5st, Steve said: “As long as there’s a single ex-soldier out there who needs support, I’ll keep cycling.”
Help for Heroes chief Mel Waters said: “Steve is, by a long way, the individual who has raised most for Help for Heroes. We cannot thank him enough.”
- To donate, visit Steve's JustGiving page
