EX-Household Cavalry serviceman Paul Minter was given a warm welcome when he reached Watchet during his marathon-a-day run around the UK coastline.

Paul is raising money and awareness for Head Up, a new Armed Forces charity which is developing a seven-day positive mindset retreat with the aim of tackling the increasing and worrying suicide rates within the UK’s military. He served for 18 years, including five frontline tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, and was mentioned in dispatches for bravery in 2011 and medically discharged with post-traumatic stress disorder.

After losing several comrades to suicide, Paul founded Head Up to enable veterans and service personnel to access mental health support.

He was accompanied on the final leg of his run into Watchet by Simon Bale and the Watchet Sea Scouts and greeted at the finishing line by Mayor Cllr Olivia Campbell, town crier, David Milton, and hosts Mike and Mandy Church.

Mrs Church said: “He is an extremely wonderful young man, and Mike and I were so pleased to be able to help him.”