SSAFA Worthing and Horsham: Volunteer raises £28,000 to buy Worthing veteran a new car

Geraldine Davidson, a caseworker from the SSAFA Worthing and Horsham Division, took on the challenge of raising £28,000 to enable 47-year-old Steve Boylan to purchase a new vehicle compatible with his wheelchair.

Steve had a distinguished 22-year career as a Warrant Officer in the Royal Engineers, seeing action in Kosovo and Afghanistan, but was left with a severe brain injury that greatly affected his speech and paralysed one side of his body after a motorcycle accident in 2015.

Throughout his rehabilitation, Steve has been adamant that his circumstances will not get the better of him and he even entered the Worthing 10K in 2021, with his friends pushing him in his wheelchair.

He was reliant on his car to get to his regular medical appointments but it came to the point last year when it needed to be replaced as it was no longer fit for purpose.

Army friend Captain Dave Curry approached SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, and Geraldine was put on the case.

She said: “I could see how much a new vehicle would mean to Steve and his parents, Peter and Mary, but I knew that raising such a substantial sum would be a challenge. I decided to approach and work with a number of military charities for funding.”

The Royal Engineers Association donated £10,000 and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and Blesma all made substantial contributions, too.

Having purchased the vehicle, Steve’s family said it had not only given him the ability to get to his appointments but also allowed him to go on outings and travel to watch his children play football.

A water and fuel specialist by trade, Steve assisted in humanitarian operations in Sierra Leone, drilling for clean water during the Ebola crisis. As a Royal Engineer, he was also instrumental in bringing an episode of Time Team to life in The Somme’s Secret Weapon, recreating the Livens Flame projector, a terror weapon of amazing ability used during World War One.

Steve was born in Southampton in 1975 and from a young age, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a soldier. He joined the Royal Engineers at 17 and his first posting abroad was to Kosovo as part of the peacekeeping force. He completed four tours of duty in Afghanistan at Kabul and Camp Bastion.

In his spare time, Steve was a joint service mountain expedition leader and loved canoeing, mountain biking and snowboarding.

After his accident, Steve spent three years in different hospitals and rehabilitation centres before arriving at Care for Veterans in December 2018, something he and his family say has been the best thing to happen, giving him hope for the future.

Also in the news: 14 Easter things to do in Worthing and beyond

See also: Sussex music charity backed by Rag ’n’ Bone Man announces opening date for its new Worthing venue

For the latest breaking news where you live in Sussex, follow us on Twitter @Sussex_World and like us on Facebook @SussexWorldUK