Calum Macleod won no fewer than four awards – including the top honour – at this year’s Scottish Veterans Awards, sponsored by Gone Solar and in support of The Army Benevolent Fund Scotland.

Calum achieved his boyhood dream at the age of 19 when he enlisted in the British Army, and went on to serve for 25 years. Originally joining the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, he went on to serve with several other units and saw active service in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kenya, while also being deployed to Germany and Cyprus and in the UK.

During that time he was awarded the General Officer Commanding’s Commendation in 2009 for Service and the NATO Europe Commendation in 1998 for Service with Allied Forces NATO, but left the Army in 2011 due to physical and mental injuries sustained on operations.

Calum met Colin Maclachlan, a Veteran from 22 Special Air Service Regiment, though their shared experience of suffering combat PTSD and the pair became friends. They released that, all too often, veterans are left alone to deal with their experiences, thoughts and traumas with little or no help in the civilian world, and the pair formed the charity Who Dares Cares.

Calum said: “We started with four veterans in Strathclyde Park and we are now UK-wide, supporting hundreds of veterans from the armed forces and blue light services.

“All of our volunteers are from an armed forces/blue light services backgrounds and we offer veterans and their dependents support though, for example, Buddy Buddy engagement, Adventure Training and Walk Talk and Brew groups – we are very proud that we were the first to recognise the benefits of walks to mental and physical health.

“We have been responsible for saving the lives of many who were in the black hole of despair, and have engaged and nurtured them to be more prepared to return to civilian street.”

Calum’s relentless and life-changing work for others was recognised at the Scottish Veterans Awards where he won Golds in the Community and Volunteer categories, Silver in Inspiration of the Year and the overall title of Scottish Veterans Awards Champion for 2024.

Councillor Mark Horsham, the council’s Veterans Champion and himself a veteran, said: “It is well-known that acclimatising to life following time in the Armed Forces can be difficult for many people, but what few know about is the crucial and wonderful work being done by Who Dares Cares to help veterans who face this situation.

“The Champion’s Award is chosen by an independent judging panel. It is awarded to a veteran who has gone, and continues to go, above and beyond for our veterans’ community and no one epitomises that more than Calum.

“He never stops working for this cause, and the number of people whose lives he has benefited, and even saved, is inestimable. I know he also applies the same principles to the people he helps through his work with the council and I am proud and delighted that we are associated with him.”

Calum added: “I am not naturally one for awards or recognition and I was truly humbled and honoured. These awards recognise not just me but every volunteer who gives up their free time and skills to benefit others, and I can’t express enough how grateful I am to them for what they do.”