Campaign to save the Mark Wright centre tops £60,000

The charity, set up by the parents of the late paratrooper, was struggling for cash earlier this year, with Bob and Jem Wright warning that they may have to sell their son's medals to stay afloat.

But since January, when the Evening News backed their appeal to raise funds to keep it open, 60,000 has poured in from wellwishers.

The money is enabling the charity to continue its work offering emotional, social and practical support to veterans returning to civilian life. However, with costs running at around 8000 a month, the Wrights have been calling for the Government to support their work.

Mr Wright said much of the money raised had been from relatively modest donations from fundraising events, rather than large one-off donations.

"There's lots of people coming in offering to do things. We're really pleased to see the money coming in and there are lots of people doing stuff for us, doing the marathon, the half marathon, it's unbelievable."

Co-founder and centre director Nancy Campbell said community groups had taken the charity to heart and were holding fundraising events to boost its coffers.

Groups to have contributed recently include the Singing for Health and Happiness group, which is part of the Midlothian Ageing Well scheme, and Land Warrior Airsoft Paintball at Newtongrange.

Ms Campbell said: "The total is now 61,202 which is fabulous, we are truly grateful.

"Singing for Health had a daffodil tea at Mayfield community centre on April 15 and raised 800, and at the paintball, the guys that owned it came up with the idea that they would have an open day that wouldn't cost anything, and they would just ask people to put money in the bucket - and they raised almost 1500.

"We had a huge increase in people wanting to do some sort of fundraising activity and some of that's coming to fruition now, which is fantastic."

She said the charity had been delighted by the way in which lots of small groups had responded to its appeal for help: "A group up the road, Gorebridge Fellowship, come in with a cake for the boys. They don't have a lot of money, but they're giving what they can, which is what it's all about. There are lots of little donations, and it's more sustainable that way, if you get the community behind it and involved in it."

The centre was opened in 2009 by Bob and Jem Wright in memory of their son, Cpl Mark Wright GC. He died in 2006 at the age of 27 after leading the rescue of injured colleagues from a minefield in Helmand.

At great danger to himself, he administered first aid in the minefield and ordered a rescue helicopter, but as it came in to land, the downdraft blew a mine up at him. Despite his injuries, he continued to command troops, but died in the rescue helicopter.

Nobody said 'are you all right?'

Working in bomb disposal in Northern Ireland in the late 80s, David Hall had plenty of close shaves. But one particularly sticks in the mind of the former Black Watch private.

While driving in convoy he unknowingly passed over a huge semtex bomb without setting it off. Moments later it exploded, killing several of those driving behind him.

Already under strain, he began to spiral downhill: "I think it was a lot to do with guilt that I was still here and they weren't. I wasn't sleeping, my mates used to go into the Naafi and I'd just drink secretly.

"You were young and you were supposed to get on with it. Nobody said 'are you all right?'"

He left the army, but his demons followed him. In the face of mood swings and aggressive behaviour, his marriage broke down and he went back to live with his increasingly-concerned parents in Roslin, wondering whether to end his life.

Things have changed for Mr Hall, 46, however. He is happily remarried and has a job he enjoys on the recycling team at Midlothian Council.

The biggest turning point in his life came when he stumbled on the Mark Wright Project Centre, which gave him counselling for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He had turned up early one day for a physio session in a neighbouring building and recalls: "One of the Mark Wright Centre staff was outside the door having a cigarette and he knew right away that I'd been in the forces. He looked at me and said 'Come on in'. I got talking to them and I said 'I've had a lot of bad times' and I just started crying like a baby. I felt embarrassed but they knew, they said 'You don't need to be embarrassed.'"