PROUD SPONSORS
OF LOCKEX 2018
illness, living with a lot of guilt and slowly
withdrew into myself. I had seen and
done enough in the military but had
never dealt with it for whatever reason. I
had been diagnosed with issues back in
the early 90s but in those days, not much
was done about it and it was a simple
case of ‘man up’. It all came to a head
a couple of years ago, when I got to
the darkest place I’ve ever been. I tried
to get help from a big charity but they
said it would take four weeks to get an
appointment. I left that place, planning to
take my own life the next day. That night
I went to a business networking meeting,
and by pure chance the guest speaker
was Danny Sculthorpe, an ex-pro rugby
league player, who was telling his story
as part of the State of Mind charity. That
talk simply saved my life; something
flicked a switch inside me and I went to
the toilet and cried my eyes out. The next
day I went to the doctors and told him
what I had been planning to do that day.
At an emergency NHS appointment with
the military veterans service, I scored
the highest you could on its assessment
scale. I have now completed just under
18 months of therapy, and while I have
not finished and still have a long way to
go, I can safely say that every day’s a
good day no matter how bad I feel. A lot
of my friends didn’t get to grow old so
now I celebrate life.”
6. THE WAR AGAINST
MENTAL ILLNESS
“I now dedicate my spare time to the
Veterans Garage and am doing more and
more for mental health. I’m not a born-
again therapist but as someone who has
been to the dark place and seen no way
back, I am proof there is hope. I give
talks and briefs for the Garage, and I also
coach mental toughness for whoever
needs it, whether it be commercial or
individual. There is a lot to be said for
changing a negative mindset. For years
I thought I could fix myself, but that just
made it worse. My priority in life is to do
my bit, and if I can save one person like
Danny did for me, then that’s a win.”
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAY/JUN 2018
LOCKEX2018 PREVIEW • 41
7. ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD
“Looking ahead, there is possibly
another series of SASWDW but nothing
confirmed as of yet, plus another TV
show with me and some other guys.
Then there is more Breakpoint UK, with
Ollie, Dean and the gang. I’m also being
asked to do more awareness talks and
mental toughness coaching, including
looking at going into prisons to help staff
and former soldiers serving sentences
to try and get them prepared for outside
life again. I’m also looking at working
with Commando Joe’s founder and doing
some commercial work there so a busy
year ahead, but very exciting.”
Jason will be at Lockex 2018 – Security
& Fire Safety this 8th, 9th and 10th
June. To find out more about his charity
work visit www.veteransgarage.co.uk.
Instagram @Mentality_chat