Colin stands tall as statue unveiled

PROUD moment: Ex-Fusilier Colin Henshaw stands beside the statue of himself in Trafalgar Square

A FORMER soldier’s charity work has been recognised with the unveiling of a statue of him in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Saddleworth’s Colin Henshaw, who has raised money for armed forces charity Help For Heroes, was among a group whose statues stood proudly to highlight a new mission to raise £1 million.

Colin’s fund-raising came with a series of tough treks, including a Five Peaks Challenge and Spire to Spire walk.

The statues, which will be deployed to the heroes’ hometowns, aim to encourage the public to donate to Help for Heroes, which cares for injured ex-servicemen.

Colin said the unveiling of his statue was a great honour.

He said: “It was a fantastic day, and it shows that people are now beginning to realise the extent of mental illnesses suffered by soldiers, not just the physical. It means a lot to me that someone would make that statue of me, and it’s taken me a long time to get to where I am.

“It’s been very emotional telling my story to the public.

Colin served as a fusilier in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo but left the services suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He got advice from Help for Heroes and turned his life around - and is replaying their help by raising money. He’s now literally an unstoppable fundraiser: he even completed a 20-mile trek along Hadrian’s Wall with a fractured knee and ankle.

Next year he will continue his working by walking part of the Great Wall of China.

Award-winning sculptor Stuart Murdoch was commissioned to create the statues to capture the character of veterans like Colin who have shown inspirational determination to rebuild their lives.


THIS website carries heavily edited versions of stories only available in full in our print and eChron editions
Follow us on Twitter: @OldhamChronicle