Dukeries Metal Detecting Club charity event

More than £700 was raised for the two charities and cheques were presented to Lt Colonel Mac McPherson MBE who has recently retired from MCVC and Captain John Gilpin MBE from Combat Stress.

Both guests gave a thought provoking presentation about issues surrounding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and heartfelt thanks were voiced by both ex serving officers.

Russell Morgan, one of the organisers and former Royal Navy serviceman and now part time tutor at Rotherham United Football Club, said: “I am immensely proud of not just my own club but the metal detecting community as a whole along with ex-military servicemen and women that either attending in support on the day or made donations, a special thanks to the club committee and Bob Hamblett for helping in taking the event forward furthermore Pepsi Perios Metal Detecting shop for his generous donation of gifts for the raffle and also Rotherham United FC for the signed Match Football.’’

Mac currently works with Veterans in Custody (VIC’s), coordinates the Military Community Veterans Centre (MCVC) in Rotherham, and is a director of the Royal Artillery Charitable Fund and the Vice Chairman of the Margaret Carey Foundation.

John is currently employed as a Regional Welfare Officer with Combat Stress, the Veteran’s Mental Health Charity, where he is responsible for dealing with the real time welfare needs of over 400 veterans within the East Midlands Region, all of whom have been diagnosed with some form of Mental Health illness, predominantly military trauma related PTSD.