On 12th March 2017 two former Royal Marines and Falkland’s veterans, Mick Dawson and Steve Grenham, will leave the UK to embark on a historic and daunting adventure which will see them kayak around the unforgiving coastline of Falkland Islands to raise awareness of PTSD amongst armed forces personnel and veterans…
This challenge, titled the Cockleshell Endeavour, is set to take around two weeks and will see the Falkland veterans tackle freezing conditions, wildlife including sharks and whales, and unexploded mines left over from the conflict. However for one half of the team in particular, Steve Grenham, there’s not just the physical challenges to overcome.
Steve will also be dealing with his own symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is has been affected by for a number of years, a situation he feels may be relate back to his experiences both in the Falkland war and tours of Northern Ireland.
It is hoped the Cockleshell Endeavour will help to put a spotlight on the hugely relevant subject of PTSD as a whole in the service community. Brighton based Mick and Steve are also hoping to raise money for their chosen charity, The Royal Marine’s Charity.
This endeavour is particularly timely as this year marks the 35th anniversary of the Falklands War and the pair will be visiting key locations around the Islands to pay tribute to their fellow veterans and those who lost their lives in the conflict.
Before embarking on this challenge both Steve and Mick were novice kayakers so have had to learn how to kayak effectively as well as train in skills that could potentially save their lives during the kayak. This preparation has involved completing a number of steadily increasing challenges, including competing in The Devizes to Westminster Canoe/Kayak race in April 2015 and The Yukon River Quest in June 2015.
Mick Dawson, former Royal Marine, Falkland’s veteran and ocean rower, says: “Although I have some experience in nautical challenges, neither Steve or I are experienced kayakers so this endeavour will really push us to the limits, both physically and mentally. Over the past couple of years we have undertaken a huge amount of training and participation in some incredibly hard events to prepare us for this and we both feel we are now ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is something suffered by potentially thousands of forces veterans across the UK but there is very little knowledge or understanding of it. Through the Cockleshell Endeavour we hope to raise awareness of the illness and raise much needed funds for those charities already supporting the Armed Forces community affected by it.”