SPEAK OUT: ‘As I was battling fires, no one knew how I was truly feeling’ says Don Welsh, former fireman

What many people do not know is he was also fighting an internal battle with depression and anxiety.

Wanting to serve his public well during his 32 years at the Essex Fire and Rescue Service based in Colchester, he kept his battle with mental illness was kept quiet.

However now Mr Welsh, 57, who lives in Holland-on-Sea, says he is blessed with the ability to speak out and help others in his position.

He said his mental struggle began about 28 years years ago.

“I have been haunted by it for many years,” he said. “It was a combination of things, the work I was doing in the fire service and the fact my mum suffered with depression.

“It was a bit of PTSD but it wasn’t recognised then like it is now.”

Things started to look bad in the year 2000, and it was at that point when Mr Welsh was referred to a psychiatrist in London.

He said: “It’s hard to explain but I used to have panic attacks.

I had a certain fear of going to do things.

“I had to battle on for my own health - my two sons, Luke and Jordan, were a big focus and they were instrumental to my recovery, as is my granddaughter Lia.

“My partner, Kay, has also been wonderful with helping me, I’m lucky to have such great support.”

He understands the best way to deal with mental health issues is to be around people you can talk openly to, people who will be accepting and supportive.

“I am blessed, folk must surround themselves with people who care about them and seek help, don’t be alone,” he said.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling when you just can’t cope, you don’t feel anything, you don’t feel hate or love, it’s a weird experience.”

He was officially diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2000 and was given medication and took part in cognitive behavioural therapy, skills from which he still uses today when things get tough.

He said: “I can have an odd bad day here and there but I don’t let it worry me, I just live with it.

“Some people think you are going to be mad, but it’s not like that at all, they get the wrong impression.”

He, alongside many others, is concerned men in particular are finding it difficult to speak out about how they are feeling.

“It’s very important to recognise you have a problem as a lot of people are in denial, particularly men as they don’t have the same friendship network,” he said.

“When you look at the stats for men with mental illness it’s quite alarming.

“There are not enough resources available, a lot of the day centres that used to exist aren’t there any more and people are left on their own to deal with it.”

Mr Welsh has been retired from the fire service for six years.

He spent the last ten years of his career in a fire safety role, which was office-based, which made it a lot easier to cope with his feelings.

However for others in the emergency services who are on the front line, he believes it is still extremely difficult.

Mind, a charity supporting those with mental illness which has a branch in Colchester, found last year one in four emergency services workers had thought about ending their lives.

He said: “I think [mental illness] is a common thing for people in the emergency services.

“I know some people in medical crews and the police - we have all been damaged by what we have seen.

“I just think something gives within your soul, it’s always gone on but isn’t really talked about.”

He, like all others who work to save lives, believes it is down to a desire to help.

But that desire occasionally stops people from remembering to help themselves.

Mr Welsh said: “Maybe it’s a fear of what others might think, you just want to go on and do the job.

“They don’t want to let their public down.

“I worked in a fire safety role for about ten years, it was less stressful and I retired after a normal service, I wasn’t signed off medically.”

Mr Welsh has found a good way of dealing with mental illness is through exercise.

He took part in the London to Paris cycle last year, and is doing the same in August.

He said: “I found a good coping mechanism is cycling and running, for me exercise is a big key for my mental welfare.

“I volunteer for the Salvation Army and Royal British Legion as well, which is very liberating.

“There is no pressure and you are there because you want to be there.”

By helping himself recover, and by understanding how beneficial it is to be helped by others, the former firefighter now believes his purpose in the world is to support others in his position.

He is happy to have a chat with anyone who is suffering from mental illness, and invites them to search for Don Welsh on Facebook. To support Mr Welsh visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/don-welsh.

Mind started a ‘Blue Light Programme’ in 2015 to support those working in the emergency services with a mental illness.

In an article on the charity’s website Faye McGuinness, Blue Light programme manager, said: “It’s shocking that our Blue Light workers are experiencing such high levels of mental health problems, low mood and stress, with one in four thinking about leaving the emergency services, and even contemplating suicide, as a result.

“The challenging nature of the job - with its unique pressures - can put staff and volunteers at greater risk of developing a mental health problem. That’s why it’s so important support is made available - to ensure dedicated workers are at their best and ready to carry out these incredibly difficult and life-saving roles we often take for granted.”

Read the full article at www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns and visit the news section.