Pride of Britain regional fundraiser revealed in the West Midlands

The Pride of Britain regional fundraiser of the year for the West Midlands has been revealed - and it's ex-soldier and marathon runner Paul Minter from Leamington Spa.

Steve Clamp told him the good news.

Paul is an ex-soldier who suffered with PTSD. He is now running the equivalent distance of nearly 200 marathons to support other Armed Forces veterans with the same condition.

He spent 18 years in the army and did five tours of Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving in 2020.

He had lost comrades in combat, but since leaving the Army he has lost a total of eleven to suicide. 

Paul is now on a mission to help others and has set up a new military charity called Head Up. He aims to build a £3 million retreat for ex-service personnel suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues. 

Today Steve surprised him, telling him we just wanted to do another quick interview, but revealing he was our regional winner.

He said,

"It's amazing, so good, thank you, I wasn't expecting that, what a nice way to finish the run"

"It's so nice to get the recognition, and to create all the more awareness about who we are and how the public can use our services."

He said thank you to everyone who has voted, nominated, and been part of his journey.

Our panel of judges included ITV staff and multiple gold medal winning gymnast Joe Fraser. He said all of the nominees were winners in his eyes and it was a difficult choice, but he was really happy with the final choice.

Paul has raised almost £400,000 for his charity so far. 

Fellow soldier Matthew Kooney, who served with him in the household cavalry describes him as “an inspiration”.

“Raising the amount of money he has raised and the people that he is doing it for, it's helping their families. 

“It benefits a lot more people than just the person that is receiving the help for that week.”