Jonny Harvey (35) travelled to Jersey with his wife and three children for a week’s holiday on Saturday.
Yesterday he fitted in a training session with the Archers of Jersey to prepare for his first appearance at the Invictus Games – an international Paralympic-style multi-sport competition, created by Prince Harry – which is being held in Toronto next month.
Mr Harvey served with the RAF for 11 years before leaving due to post traumatic stress disorder. He also suffers with chronic fatigue syndrome and has turned to archery to aid his recovery.
‘One of my sergeants got killed in front of me during my second tour in Iraq and that’s where most of my PTSD comes from and the reason I wanted to leave the forces,’ Mr Harvey, who has been sponsored by Nottinghamshire-based KG Archery, said.
‘Both PTSD and chronic fatigue syndrome are invisible injuries, so it is quite hard for people to understand.
‘I was put in touch with the charity Combat Street last year and everything has just happened from there.’
Mr Harvey and his family are among a group of 40 people who were brought to the Island by Holidays for Heroes Jersey – a charity which provides free holidays for injured servicemen and women – this weekend.
He added: ‘When I left the forces I started to row again and get back into sport. It was through rowing that I discovered I had chronic fatigue syndrome because I ended up spending four days in bed because I was so tired. Someone suggested that I tried archery and I loved it.
‘Sport has given me a real focus and a purpose again, which is one of the things veterans can miss a lot. The camaraderie in sport is one of the best things for me though and no one can dispute the brotherhood between veterans.
‘I’m excited about competing next month, but also a little daunted. We are not just representing ourselves – we are representing our families, the country and veterans across the UK.’
Mr Harvey, who served in Northern Ireland during the UK firefighter dispute and who has also completed two tours of duty in Iraq, is hoping to
win a medal in the individual novice (archery) category and the team novice category. He said: ‘I feel very lucky to be able to practise my archery while I am here in Jersey. I have three sessions with the club booked in during my stay. Jersey is a real hidden gem and I would love to come back again in the future.’
Richard Woodhouse, co-founder of Holidays for Heroes Jersey, said: ‘We are so grateful for the support from the Archers of Jersey, who have allowed Jonny to practise while he is on holiday with us.
‘It’s really exciting for us to have Jonny here because we can follow his journey in the games and see how he does.’
