Dunstable paramedic says paddleboarding saved his life

An NHS paramedic is planning to cross the English Channel on a paddleboard to raise funds for a suicide prevention charity.

Joe Cartwright, from Bedfordshire, took up the sport in 2019.

He said he had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression after several of his friends took their own lives.

"If I didn't get involved with paddleboarding I wouldn't be here now," he said.

"I went through a really, really dark time in 2019," said Mr Cartwright, who is from Dunstable.

When several people he knew took their own lives, "it left me with PTSD, it left me with images of this one particular person, I really struggled with it", he said.

"I couldn't go out for a walk with my family without seeing this particular person, I was waking up in the middle of the night, it was real visual PTSD.

"It got me to a really low point in my life where I was drinking more, I wasn't going out, I wasn't socialising, I lost interest in a lot of things, especially my family."

His life changed when his wife booked him on a paddleboard lesson, at Willen Lake, Milton Keynes, "to try and get out the house", he said.

He put off going to the lesson, but when he did, he said: "I had 30 minutes when I didn't have to think of anything instead of standing up on a paddleboard."

Mr Cartwright said he still had depression and PTSD but "treatment has allowed me to manage it".

In September, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) Luton-based worker hopes to cross the Channel to raise funds for OLLIE, a St Albans-based suicide prevention charity.

He said he would be covering between 26 and 32 nautical miles (26 to 50km), which could take him up to 11 hours.

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He has the support of his family and his employers.

Lyn Cartwright, his mother, said: "We're so proud of him, it's such a worthy cause we'll be there with him all the way."

Tom Abell, chief executive officer of EEAS, said: "Joe is incredibly focused on helping others - especially patients and our communities - and we are all extremely proud of him for raising awareness about such an important subject, which can be difficult to talk about for many."

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