Peter's magic Shropshire milestone achieved in support of special hubs

Hopefully better than mine, many of which seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke and the blink of an eye before the first week of January was complete.

But I do maintain a couple of hopes - to get out into the great outdoors as much as possible in 2025, improving both my mental and physical health, and also to make more of a worthwhile contribution to charities and local organisations.

If, like me, you need an inspiration for such ambitions then  Peter Heap might just be the man to provide it. 

Many of you will have heard of the words 'all around the Wrekin' and if there's one man the phrase was quite literally made for in 2024, it was military veteran Peter.

Throughout 2024, Peter, now a Principal Recruitment Consultant at Jonathan Lee Recruitment, decided that he would scale the iconic 1,334 ft Wrekin Hill in Shropshire 100 times. 

His mission,  which began at the start of last year,  was to raise funds for Veterans’ Cafés and Wellbeing Hubs, part of Telford Mind. And he has achieved just that, with well over £3,500 raised so far and counting. 

The Veterans’ Café is a vital community space that provides military veterans with a supportive environment to connect, share experiences, and access resources designed to help them navigate the unique challenges they face after service. 

Peter’s dedication to this cause is is a personal one.  A veteran himself with 20 years of military experience, he spent the first 15 years of his military career in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers Corps (REMEC), including operational deployments in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. 

REMEC provides engineering support to maintain and repair the vast array of British Army equipment

He then moved into a role within military recruitment based in Boston ACIO, Lincolnshire, where he found his niche, resulting in the role he has now, outside of the Armed Forces, with Jonathan Lee.  

Peter's support of veterans is also shared by his wife, Louise, the CEO of Telford Mind and it is her operations team have been instrumental in establishing and running the Veterans’ Hub, creating a meaningful resource for veterans in Donnington, Dawley and Madeley.

It all meant that he was determined, when planning a fundraising challenge, to make the service his priority.

"Last year that I just decided I really wanted to get off the sofa and do something while I still could for the veterans, as I was one myself and had joined the  Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers Corps straight from school," Peter recalls. 

"I am 49 now and so I wanted to give something back. 

“So I thought the Veterans’ Wellbeing Hub was a great thing to support. It is a fantastic service offered by Telford Mind. 

"As a veteran myself, I understand how important it is to have a place where you can talk to people who truly understand and that was my motivation for this charity challenge. 

"Talking to veterans can often a different language which you only understand if you have served yourself  and I think it's great to be able to talk to like-minded people over a coffee .

"It's great when there's someone there to listen to really.  These places are vital - a space for support, advice, and genuine connection.”

Peter completed his first walk in March. 

"I started doing them two or three times a week after that," he added. "Or more at times, if I had to catch up on my target due to other events taking over. 

"I did a lot of the walks on my own but for milestone ones, it was great that I had other people do them with me. 

"So, for example, number 40 was with friends and colleagues from work,  number 50 was with ex-Forces colleagues and number 60 was with my football crowd, who I play matches with. 

"The support I had  throughout, and the donations that were coming in, really kept me motivated. 

"It was emotional at times, but incredibly rewarding and I’m grateful for everyone’s support, including those who travelled hours to join me. 

"This was for the military community, and it’s been a great way to stay fit while giving back.”

Peter’s 100th climb became a community celebration, with more than 25 people joining him, including veterans, colleagues from Jonathan Lee Recruitment, football friends, and representatives from Telford Mind.

At the summit, the group took celebratory photos before descending to a surprise gathering at the Halfway House.

Laura Hollie, Community Development Lead for Yellow Ribbon’s Halfway House project, welcomed everyone before Deputy Mayor Reg Snell and Councillor Raj Mehta delivered heartfelt speeches. 

Wellington Town Council presented Pete with a trophy, designed to resemble the Jules Rimet Trophy, in recognition of his achievements and footballing passion.

Jonathan Lee, Chairman of Jonathan Lee Recruitment, presented Pete with a certificate of achievement and a cheque for £2,000 on behalf of the company. 

"I had a lovely turnout for my last one," he said.  "I am so glad I did it now as, fundraising wise, it was a really good result in the end  

"It was more than I ever expected and it was good to do 100 walks. I remember finishing the 99th and felt so good knowing the 100th one was coming up!  

"Hopefully the additional money raised can help pay for some one-to-one support for veterans as well." 

Never one to rest on his laurels, Pete is already exploring his next challenge. He now has the bug. 

"I might potentially swim 100,000m in the pool," he said. 

"That's one idea as I used to swim for the army.

"It might be a good one to do and it's not weather dependent so it would give me some flexibility but I'm still deciding on the next challenge. Whatever it is, hopefully it can be another enjoyable one and I can provide more funds for what I consider to be an important service," 

To support Pete’s incredible efforts, visit his fundraiser at  https://www.justgiving.com/page/pete-heap-1706479512958