Welsh army widows lay wreath to remember loved ones

This year's Remembrance Day is particularly poignant for Thea Davies from Cardiff. Six months ago, on May 26, her boyfriend of three and a half years Captain Stephen Healey was killed whilst on patrol in Afghanistan.

Thea said that it has been difficult to adjust over the past few months: "It's been very up and down, obviously the first couple of months were just a blur. I look back at it and I can't really remember what happened from day-to-day. I've now realised that Steve isn't coming home."

Thea told ITV Wales that she's also realised her life has to continue and has started running to raise money: "I'm doing a challenge in his memory of doing 415 miles over the year, by entering various half and full marathons. It is keeping me busy, but also, it's a way to remember Steve and raise money in his memory."

This weekend will be the first time the Army Widows' Association is laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London. Thea said she wasn't sure how to mark Remembrance Day so soon after Stephen had died: "I got in touch with the Army Widows' Association and met a few of them, and heard they were going down this weekend. I thought that they were probably the best people for me to be with at this moment in time because we're all going through a similar experience."

Victoria Bateman ,28, is the Wales regional officer for the charity. She lost her husband Lance Corporal James Bateman, from 2 Battalion The Parachute Regiment, in 2008. Through her own experiences of being a widow at the age of 24, she hopes to offer support and advice to Thea and others.

Hannah Gurney reports.

For more information on the Army Widows' Association[ click here.

](https://www.facebook.com/415miles)Also, to support Thea Davies's fundraising efforts visit her Facebook page here.