A combat medic who lost both legs in a Taliban bomb blast has been deployed by a London charity to inspire ex-forces prisoners with the story of how he rebuilt his life after being wounded.
Last week Si Harmer helped launch the pilot scheme — which offers life tips and the hope of improving inmates’ mental and physical health by reconnecting them with the feeling of being part of the military family — at a category-B prison.
Veterans make up about four per cent of the prison population, according to Ministry of Justice estimates.
Called Making Generation R, standing for “resilience”, the project is run by Romford-based Blesma, which helps limbless former services personnel, and The Drive Project social enterprise.
Mr Harmer, 43, was serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the Coldstream Guards, when he lost his right leg below the knee and later needed his left amputating above the knee after stepping on a pressure-triggered improvised explosive device (IED) while patrolling 150 metres from base in Babaji, Helmand province, in 2009.
The father of three, now a public speaker, visited inmates at Swansea jail with Stewart Harris, who lost his right eye and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after an IED blast in 2012.
They spoke to veterans, some in their early twenties, who had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo. The pair were not told the offences the prisoners had committed.
If successful, it is hoped the outreach project could be rolled out nationwide and potentially broadened out to civilian prisoners battling drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.
Mr Harmer said: “You don’t want to preach to them, we talked about the things that helped us get through the situations that we’ve been in.
“One thing that helped me greatly was having an amazing family around me but if that’s not the case, it’s about finding positive people, a support network, who can do that.
“You hope this project will start something in them to make a different decision in life.”
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Grace Staniland, director of The Drive Project, said: “The relationship made in the Army, Navy or Air Force is like no other. We hope Generation R offers some sense of hope.” Prison spokeswoman Joanna Marston said: “Teaching those in custody to react to challenging situations in a positive way helps them build vital skills for release.”
You can read more about the charity and its projects here.
