'Jane saved my life...it's as simple as that'

Dog charity worker nominated for her PTSD crusade

- Robert Kellaway

THE special talents of a charity volunteer have been recognised for the way she helps military veterans who are suffering the terror of posttraumatic stress by pairing them with assistance dogs.

Jane Hoare, 57, travels the country looking for those special animals that can transform the lives of those battling to recover their mental health.

Among the veterans who nominated her for the Soldiering On award in recognition of her unpaid work at the charity Service Dogs UK is Jordan Chapman, 46.

He insisted: "She saved my life, it's as simple as that."

The father of six, from Coulsdon in Surrey, served in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers with two tours of Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2001. Jordan later joined the ambulance service.

The sights and experiences he endured in both roles left him "broken" and close to taking his own life.

He was diagnosed with PTSD in 2018 and tried counselling and many charities before his wife suggested a dog might help. He then found Service Dogs UK online.