SHOWREVIEW 67
From the Front Line to a Locksmith with Pilgrim Bandits
»»‘ PILGRIM BANDITS ’, A charity formed by Ex-Special Forces personnel , to assist all injured ex or serving military personnel in their recovery by offer empathy not sympathy , was the nominated charity of Lockex 2016 , when it debuted at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry in September .
The Locksmith Journal spoke to the West Midlands area coordinator , Terry Arnett , who said , “ We are extremely pleased to have been invited to this exhibition . Events like this allow us not only to forge better links with the business community , but also allows us to educate and show the wider community , what remarkable things can be achieved by our injured armed forces .”
At the time of the exhibition , the charity was celebrating another successful challenging expedition , to the icy waters of Greenland . Pilgrim Bandits provides training , working towards qualifications for those injured interested in pursuing a career in the leisure sector or to simply train for expeditions like this one .
Mick Smith , explains how he came to qualify as a locksmith and join Pilgrim Bandits , “ I served 25 years in the Coldstream Guards from 1988 to 2013 , taking pride in serving my country and experiencing the world .
“ At the age of 18 I was sent to Cyprus for the best part of 2 years and served in most conflicts the UK armed forces was involved in , with the exception of Afghanistan as this was taken out of my control .
“ On the 12th June 2008 , I was riding a military motorcycle for the trooping the colour for Her Majesty The Queen ’ s birthday parade , when I was involved in an accident where the rear wheel locked up and I was thrown from the machine , landing on my right knee and left shoulder , banging my head on the tarmac . I tried to stand but was in such unbelievable pain that I passed out .
“ I was taken to St . Thomas Hospital London , where I was put into an induced coma as and woke up in a hospital bed 10 days and 6 operations later . However , 12 months and a further 5 operations on , I was at a checkup with my surgeon on 28th June 2009 when I was told that they had tried everything they could but the best option I had was to amputate my right leg from above the knee .
“ After my right leg was amputated I was sent to the Defence Military Rehabilitation Complex , Headley Court , in Epsom where I first met Ben Parkinson MBE and Peter Price , who was offering a 3-day City & Guilds recognised locksmith course , which I took him up on .
“ I completed the course and passed with no problems . I had a thought that I could do this as my full time job and even possibly run my own business , so I asked friends and family to let me do any locksmith work on their property to gain more confidence in the work . I have since completed an
‘ We are extremely pleased to have been invited to this exhibition ’ advanced locksmith course with 1st Call Locksmith Training in Birmingham .
“ Having now gained some confidence and the right qualifications needed , the only worry is I now have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD ), which causes problems in crowded areas and when meeting strangers . This could be a problem for a self-employed locksmith , however , I eventually asked for help in overcoming these obstacles from a service charity and after just over 24 months of going to see them I decided I wanted to also help others , so I worked with a civilian charity for limbless persons and I still help them when I can .
“ I had a chance last year to meet up with Pilgrim Bandits and soon realised this was what I needed , to be a part of this amazing charity and help others and be a part of the next big charity in the making . I am amazed by these guys and the things they have done .
“ I have been fully qualified as a locksmith for a little over 6 years and , although it ’ s been a very quiet year this year due to operations and illness , both physical and mental , I really enjoy my job and enjoy working with the charity .”
www . pilgrimbandits . org SML Locksmiths Ltd , 01276 492066 , 07881972089
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | SEP / OCT 2016