Meet Nick Wilson the Male Role Model of the Year 2021 who has fought wars and his own mental health

On November 19, 2021, Nick Wilson won West Northamptonshire's Male Role Model Award for founding Talk Mental Health.

Following on from his award win, Chronicle & Echo sat down with Nick to hear his story.

At 21 years old, Nick, who now lives in Towcester, joined the army's Royal Logistics Corps as a professional driver. During his 14-year career, this ballooned into a wide range of roles.

By the time he left the army, at the rank of Sergeant, Nick qualified as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) instructor, weapons instructor, Intelligence roles, and a regimental instructor.

Nick served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nick said: "When you first go in and you're young, you're looking for the fight, chasing destruction. But as time goes on and you see the real effects of war on your friends and civilians, it starts to take a toll.

"In Kosovo it was mostly mass graves and peacekeeping; the after-effects of war. But in Iraq and Afghanistan we got a lot closer to it.

"Things changed for me most in Afghanistan where we went from being a front line rear echelon, to being in a 360 degree war where there was no front line.

"Trying to distinguish an enemy insurgent from a civilian with a Kalashnikov, which they can legally carry and fire over there, was impossible. The only difference was if they started firing at you.

"In 2003 we had IED week where we got smashed to bits. It became a battalion-level movement to go anywhere."

Yet it was not the bombs or bullets that closed this chapter, but seven prolapse disks in his spine caused by the strain of his service.

Nick was told to either retire early, and accept a £60,000 payout, or be discharged and leave with nothing, as the Army would not take responsibility for what they called 'regular wear and tear', as Nick recalled.

This left him lost for a time, as he came to terms with his career, and identity, being taken years earlier than expected, all the while living in pain.

This culminated in an attempted suicide in 2016 which, fortunately, was not successful.

Yet Nick chose to use this event to spark a resurgence in his life, choosing to find new purpose and overcome his challenges.

"In the Army you have a service number, a rank, a place. But when you leave all of that is taken away and you really struggle to find that again in civilian life. That combined with war time experiences can lead to PTSD," he added.

Nick deals with chronic pain daily, because of his spine, combined with complex PTSD and depression.

When Covid-19 struck and the UK was plunged into a series of devastating lockdowns, Nick decided to use his lived experience to guide others through the very same struggles he knew well.

"I think it was more of a personal need. If you ask those who know me, I've always had a big heart and wanted to help other people," Nick continued.

"I've always been a sensitive soul; part of trying to be 'one of the lads' is that it wasn't a natural fit.

"So, when I suddenly found myself alone and living in a flat by myself, having to support myself with disabilities, in a locked down town where I didn't know anyone, I realised that there must be lots of lads like me."

The veteran had done lots of charity before, such as raising £100,000 whilst in the Army, including a 1,000 mile cycle ride he completed in four days.

So in May of 2021, Nick finally took the plunge and founded Talk Mental Health, a men's mental health charity that started out small but soon grew immensely.

"We started with a handful of guys and within a few weeks we were getting on average 16 people per week," Nick said.

"It was brilliant that we were getting such good feedback. After two or three sessions you really saw a difference."

Sadly, Nick's health declined over the last four or five months, meaning he has taken a step back.

In future he will become an ambassador for Talk Mental Health, alongside launching a public speaking career, with which he hopes to promote the cause he cares so much about.

Nick said: "If I was to die tomorrow, I'd like my legacy to be one of championing the strength in mentally and/or physically disabled persons, helping others and challenging guys' preconceived ideas of mental health and toxic masculinity."

Nick's work goes on in a time of major mental health uncertainty.