Released on: April 9, 2008, 2:41 am

Press Release Author: Media jems

Industry: Non Profit

Press Release Summary: Christopher Biggins is among a host of well-known faces
supporting a national campaign to raise money for the development of a new treatment
for military veterans from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Press Release Body: The campaign has been launched by social inclusion charity P3 to
raise money to fund the development of a new treatment for combat related PTSD,
which in pilot tests delivered an 80% success rate within the first 28 days.
Ex-RAF Officer Steve Bradbury has taken on the challenge to run the London Marathon
on the 13th April through which he hopes to raise the first milestone of £64,000 for
P3. This money is needed to complete the final development of the treatment
programme and enable P3 to prepare for a larger pilot scheme, which will be
independently assessed.
This unique new treatment delivers a six month programme involving 28 days of PTSD
Recovery Training followed by five months of social rehabilitation which may include
re-housing for homelessness, drug and alcohol rehab and other social inclusion
programmes.
The 'Once is enough' campaign is supported by 'King of the Jungle' Christopher
Biggins, ex SAS and TV personalities Bear Grylls and Major Ken Hames (Ken has
suffered for many years with PTSD) and Britain's first female fast jet pilot Jo
Salter.
"30,000 British personnel served in the Falklands war and as many as 2,700 of these
veterans could now be suffering from delayed onset PTSD" explains David Walters of
HelpMeOvercome who are working alongside P3 to deliver the new treatment.

"But it is the wider impact of PTSD that is most alarming. Over 300 Falklands
veterans have committed suicide (more than were killed in combat) and it is
estimated that there are over 6,000 veterans in the prison system and a further
12,000 without a permanent residence."

In addition to this, over 130,000 British service personnel have served in Iraq and
Afghanistan and this his means that soon, we may see a further 12,000 service
personnel and veterans develop PTSD.
'PTSD puts a huge burden on charities, social services, the NHS and the legal system
and as nation we simply don't have the capability or the capacity to manage the
influx of PTSD cases which will come from current combat operations" adds Walters.

Ironically, most of the suffering experienced by these men and women could be
avoided simply through the provision of more effective treatments for PTSD.
"Once is enough is a pioneering campaign and we must do all we can to support all
the brave men and women who are risking their lives for us in combat and need our
help. Sponsoring Steve Bradbury at the London Marathon is something that everyone
can do to make a real difference to those servicemen and women who are affected by
the nightmare of PTSD," adds Christopher Biggins.
For more information on the 'Once is enough' campaign visit
www.knuckledownforheroes.com or to sponsor Steve Bradley at the forthcoming London
Marathon, visit www.justgiving.com/SteveBradbury.

Editors Notes
Celebrity Interviews
Subject to availability, Jo Salter, Major Ken Hames and Christopher Biggins will be
available for a limited number of interviews or press/TV appearances in relation to
the 'once is enough' campaign.
Representatives from P3, HelpMeOvercome as well as an ex-Falklands veteran who has
successfully been treated for PTSD through the new treatment are also available for
interviews and press/TV appearances.
Please contact Jenna Gould on 01603 283 503 / 07958 263 708 to arrange interviews,
request images or for further information.
'Once is enough'
P3 and HelpMeOvercome have developed a revolutionary new treatment for combat
related PTSD, which in pilot studies provided relief from symptoms for 80% of those
who completed the course.
After a year of refinement and improvement, P3 are now ready to move from a small
pilot to a large-scale delivery. It costs £4,000 to provide six months of PTSD
recovery training and social rehabilitation support to a PTSD casualty and their
spouse/partner - that is just half the cost of six weeks of respite care and only
20% of the cost of a month long stay at the Priory.
PTSD RECOVERY TRAINING - Giving Soldiers Hope
Milestone 1: £64,000
Four 4 person courses will be delivered in May and June 2008 to complete the
programme development and finalise the service delivery model, costing £64,000.
Milestone 2: £416,000
In September, P3 will then embark on a year long large scale programme and clinical
observation study with Nottingham University, enabling 104 veterans to gain relief
from their PTSD symptoms whilst providing us with an independently validated study
needed for acceptance by the NHS and the MoD.
Milestone 3: £1,000,000
P3 then plan to expand their service to deliver PTSD recovery and resilience
training for 250 casualties each year. To do this they need to raise £1,000,000 from
charitable donations to fund these programmes. And this will need to continue until
the MoD and NHS accept this training as a credible solution to the problem of PTSD.
The Statistics
- Over 300 Falklands veterans have committed suicide; more then were killed in the
fighting.

- Initial indications from Iraq suggested that 2% of regular soldiers and 4% of
reservists developed PTSD (Source: King's Centre for Military Health)

- PTSD causes violent outbursts, emotional showdowns and social dysfunction, which
affect the lives of family, friends and communities. It places a major burden on
social services, the health service, charities and the legal system.

- As many as 7% of the UK prison population (over 6,000 prisoners) are veterans.
(Source: The National Ex-Services Association). Vets in Prison believe this number
to be as high as 11%.

- Approximately 12% of homeless people are ex-military. (Source: PoppyScotland)
Given a conservative estimate for UK homeless population at 300,000, this means that
more than 36,000 British veterans could be currently homeless.

- US figures suggest that the incidence of psychological trauma is rising with
prolonged combat duty: 38% of regular soldiers, 31% of marines, 49% of soldiers and
43% of marine reservists had symptoms of post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety,
and other psychological problems within three months of returning from active duty.
About P3
P3 operates services and creates opportunities for vulnerable people of all ages
that offer effective and long lasting routes out of social/economic exclusion and
homelessness. Specialising in support for people recovering from mental ill health,
P3 has a 25 year track record of operating a range of services, 16 sites across the
UK and over 170 staff working every day to provide support to over 1700 people a
week.
P3 has been recognised through a variety of national awards and standards including
Number 1 in the Sunday Times Best Company 2007 Awards, Charity Awards Best Charity
2005 and winner of the National Training Awards 2006. For more information visit
www.p3charity.com
For more information please contact;
Jenna Gould
Tel: 01603 286503
Mobile: 07958 263 708
Email: jenna@mediajems.co.uk





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Contact Details: Jenna Gould
Tel: 01603 286503
Mobile: 07958 263 708
Email: jenna@mediajems.co.uk