England boss Gareth Southgate surprises Oldham Army veteran Geoffrey

Gareth Southgate paid a surprise visit to the Armed Forces community to show his support for Help for Heroes’ new campaign to highlight the hidden wars UK veterans and their families are facing, long after a conflict has ended.

It gave the England football manager the chance to reflect on the common ground between those coping with the end of a military or sporting career, and the devastating potential that can have for a loss of identity.

Southgate said: “While the lived experiences are obviously different, there is common ground post-career in having to start again and find a new sense of belonging.”

He is the newest Patron to join forces with the Charity which says thousands of veterans are still struggling with painful injuries, mental trauma, isolation and more and is referring to the situation as the ‘Veterans War’.

As well as meeting veterans and their families, he put his sporting skills to the test by having go at archery and firing a crossbow at Help for Heroes’ regular multi-sports activity day at the Anderton Centre near Chorley.

One of the first veterans he met was Geoffrey Hargreaves, who is aged 73 and from Oldham.

He was a radio engineer in the Army and served three tours in Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles in the 1970s.

Whilst stationed at Catterick barracks in North Yorkshire, his Sergeant Major and football team manager, George Kyle, approached the managers of nearby Leeds United and Middlesbrough Football Clubs to ask if his squad of soldiers could play against their youth teams.

An away game at Elland Road was followed by a match against Boro’s youth team and their manager, Jack Charlton, was presented with a plaque by the visitors from Catterick and a return leg was arranged, along with a tour of the camp.

So in 1972, on a sports field in Catterick with no cameras or stands of supporters cheering, 22-year-old Geoffrey and his band of brothers were stunned when their opposition’s manager - and England 1966 World Cup winner - took off his tracksuit and played the second half to the delight of the home team.

More than 50 years later, Geoffrey’s love of the beautiful game is just as strong – he now plays in the England Veterans over 70s team and plays for Curzon Ashton Football Club against players in their 30s.

“I still want to win and I’m just as competitive now, it’s all about the challenge,” he said.

Geoffrey was involved in a car accident six years ago when he was shunted from behind by a transit van travelling at speed which triggered flashbacks from what he’d experienced in Northern Ireland.

“From then I became very isolated, and I would disappear for days at a time,” he explained.

He was introduced to Help for Heroes and is now a regular at its outdoor activity days in the North-West aimed at the Armed Forces community.

Geoffrey added: “I really enjoy being outside, so I love these activity days, especially the camaraderie.

"Having Gareth Southgate turn up was fantastic, he was very interested to hear about my years of playing football and I think he’s a great signing for Help for Heroes.”

When the Charity was founded in 2007, UK forces were involved in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - the need to support our veterans had never been more visible or raw.

But over the last year, it has seen requests for financial support surge by a massive 264 per cent, including support to help veterans put food on the table or heat their homes.

It is issuing more grants than ever before for life-changing equipment like wheelchairs, adjustable beds and hearing aids. Yet while demand for its services is rising fast, its income is falling.

Since British forces withdrew from Afghanistan, its income has dropped by 56 per cent.

Former Kingsman Anthony Cooper’s life changed forever in Afghanistan aged 22 when he lost both legs above the knee and suffered significant injuries to his brain, eyes and hands from a roadside bomb.

“After I was injured, I felt like I was in hell. I attempted suicide maybe four or five times. It was a cry for help. I didn’t know what else to do,” said Anthony, 35, from Chorley.

“The country might not be at war anymore, but for me it is still going on.

"It will be going on for the rest of my life – what I’ve seen will always be in my head.

"I don’t think it’s possible to just wipe that out.

"People were telling me that I can’t do sport because I’m blind, missing limbs, and missing the fingers on one hand.

"But Help for Heroes really encouraged me."

“Through Help for Heroes I’ve become an archery instructor, wheelchair basketball instructor, I got into climbing and I play wheelchair rugby,” he told Southgate.

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