A NAVY veteran who found a purpose in life again after taking up archery wants to help the charity which supported him.

Lee Patmore, 40, from Basildon, was forced to leave the Navy in 1999 after three years of service following a diagnoses of Myalgic Encephalopathy, known as ME, and Fibromyalgia, a long-term condition which causes pain all over the body.

He struggled to adjust to civilian life and to cope with the pain and stiffness in his muscles.

Mr Patmore admits this made him angry, and he became verbally aggressive.

He spent three years inside playing computer games before deciding something needed to change.

Mr Patmore said: "I had always loved archery as a child so I decided I would join a local archery club and try it.

"Picking up the bow relaxed me and I felt at peace again for the first time in a very long time.

"I never experienced anything like it."

He required a wheelchair to enable him to pick up the arrows, with military charity Help for Heroes funded for him.

The charity also funded training which allowed Mr Patmore to become a disability gym instructor, which got him a job at The Brentwood Centre, in Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood as an inclusion co-ordinator.

He has recently qualified as a GB archery instructor.

Mr Patmore credits archery for turning his life around.

He said: "My journey has been unbelievable.

"It has been a bad road but archery gave me my life back.

"Sport is a key to recovery.

"It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling or what has recently happened, it’s all gone when I pick up my bow and reach for my next arrow to load onto the bowstring."

To help raise funds Help for Heroes and thank the charity for its support, Mr Patmore will take part in a 1,300 mile hand cycle from John O'Groats, in Scotland, to Land's End, Cornwall, next year with friends Steve Craddock and Brian Kilgannon.

The trio have already raised more than £2,700 for Help for Heroes, with more than ten months to go before they set off on the challenge.

To sponsor them, visit ourcycle2recovery.co.uk