When Anne Duncan sets off on her daily runs this July, she’ll be doing far more than keeping fit. She’ll be covering 300 miles in 50 days – a fundraising challenge inspired by her husband Pete, a Royal Navy veteran whose life changed overnight after a stroke.
Pete, a former Warrant Officer 1 Medical Assistant, served for 41 years and marked countless milestones during his long military career. But in 2022, while attending the Royal Navy vs British Army rugby match at Twickenham, he suffered a major stroke that affected his speech and completely took the right side of his body.
“It was life-changing. He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t speak, and his right arm was just gone.”
Anne Duncan
Help for Heroes’ Very Seriously Injured (VSI) programme stepped in at a crucial time. For Anne, their support has been transformative.
“I genuinely don’t think I’d be here without them. The world was a very dark place before they started helping us.”
Why 300 miles?
This July marks 50 years since Pete joined the Royal Navy, travelling 300 miles from his home in Chorley, Lancashire, to Rayleigh in Essex for his first posting.
“So I thought, 'Right – 300 miles. We’ll tie that in.’ It works out at about six miles a day. I might have to walk some of it, especially when we’re on holiday, but I’ll get it done.”
Holiday or not – the couple will be in Majorca for part of the challenge – Anne is committed.
“I’ll just get up and run along the seafront. Slightly nicer than Hull!” she laughs.
Running has always been part of their life
Anne has taken on charity fundraising before – including paragliding, which raised more than £1,500 last year. But running is something she’s always relied on.
“Since my twenties, running has been where I switch off. It’s been my escapism.”
It’s also something she and Pete shared before his stroke, and continue to share.
Pete, she says, is fully supportive. “I don’t think anything I do surprises him anymore.”
“We do parkruns together – I push him in a manual chair. Running’s always been part of our relationship, so on a nice day I’m hoping he can join me for a little bit and cheer me on.”
Prior to his stroke, Anne and Pete completed a charity fun run together
Adjusting to a new life
Thanks to physiotherapy, much of it funded by Help for Heroes, Pete can now walk short distances without a stick and communicate more clearly.
“He still can’t walk more than about 80 metres, and his right arm hasn’t come back in any practical way,” Anne explains. “His speech is loads better – he understands everything and he can get his point across – but his confidence has gone. He’d never go out alone now.”
Before the stroke, Anne ran a busy catering business at an offshore training college – the place where she met Pete through an ex‑military colleague who set them up on a blind date.
“When Pete had the stroke, it became obvious I couldn’t keep the business going. It wasn’t fair to anyone. So I closed it and became his full‑time carer.”
“They look after both of us”
Help for Heroes has supported the couple with:
-
physiotherapy and robotic rehab
-
speech therapy
-
an electric wheelchair for travel
-
respite breaks for Pete, giving Anne some much-needed time to rest and recharge
-
carer support for Anne
-
community connection with other VSI families
“It’s not just the financial support. It’s knowing someone is there to listen. They look after me as much as they look after Pete.”
The community of other VSI veterans and their families, has become particularly important.
“When you feel you’re not doing enough, or you’re struggling, someone messages and says, ‘You’re doing an amazing job – we all feel like that at times.’ The community helps you reset and keep going.”