D-Day trek after military family's alcohol battles

Jay Campbell said the trip would be "cathartic" after his own family struggled with alcohol and drugs

A man whose father and grandfather became homeless and struggled with alcohol after leaving the armed forces is taking on a fundraising trek across D-Day beaches in France.

Jay Campbell, from Bournemouth, Dorset, said both men died prematurely after battling with addiction.

He said his late mother also experienced challenges with alcohol and drugs, while he "went off the rails" as a teenager before entering the criminal justice system and getting help.

The addiction support worker will mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings by walking 270km (168 miles) from Cherbourg to Pegasus Bridge in aid of the WithYou charity.

Mr Campbell said his grandfather, who served in the army in World War Two, ended up sleeping rough in Glasgow.

He said: "What I knew of him was that he was a street homeless drunk. And that is absolutely not true. He fought for this country and I want to be able to honour him.

"And I also want to do that for my dad, because he passed away in not very pleasant circumstances and he served this country for many, many years."

Mr Campbell said his father, a submariner who was promoted to chief petty officer, lived on the streets for the last 15 years of his life.

He said: "In the time of my grandfather, it was seen as the done thing not to show any kind of weakness and that's why he... self-medicated with alcohol. And the same with my father.

"I believe it's not weakness. You have to find a way to decompress from what you've seen."

WithYou said that between April 2022 and March 2024, the number of veterans supported across their services increased by 18%.

Mr Campbell said military deployments also created "unseen" challenges for partners and children.

He said: "As a child... I didn't even recognise [my father] when he came home. I was very scared of him. I know my mum was very isolated."

The recovery worker now supports veterans as part of a drug and alcohol homeless outreach team.

From Sunday, he will walk for six days across northern France, camping out each night.

He said: "Completing this challenge is my way of remembering my dad, mum and granddad and raising awareness of the support services that saved me and that could have saved them too.

"I want this to be quite cathartic for me and I believe it will be."