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Moray heroine who helps the heroes


By Alistair Whitfield

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Dianne McLeish is stepping down from her role with Help for Heroes after 10 years. Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.044268.
Dianne McLeish is stepping down from her role with Help for Heroes after 10 years. Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.044268.

FOUR months spent near the thick of the action in Afghanistan made Dianne McLeish truly value the work done by Help for Heroes.

Dianne was so impressed that she organised a fundraising barbecue while still stationed at the RAF base in Kandahar.

A decade later and she is finally hanging up her collection tin having personally raised more than £30,000 for the charity and helped to drum up a further £500,000.

Dianne's long career with the RAF began in 1977.

Before that she spent three years in a rather different profession.

She recalled: "After leaving school I started out as a Red Coat at Butlin's. My family used to keep going on at me to get a proper job – and, eventually, that's what I did.

"I was already interested in medicine and had been in the St Andrew's Ambulance. On top of that I'd always been attracted by the military. So I put the two things together and decided to join up as a medic."

Quite often Dianne would be the only woman while she was undertaking her eight months of medical training.

She said: "It was a different era back then. Some men didn't think women should be allowed anywhere near the RAF, and they weren't afraid to let you know that.

"I always felt that as a woman I had to work harder to prove myself. Having said that though, most of the men were great. Military life certainly got much easier as time went on.

"I spent a total 33 years with the RAF and they were truly amazing times."

Dianne undertook 16 different foreign postings, including a stint in Falklands in the wake of the 1982 conflict, plus three years in Germany, as well as long periods in Holland, Hong Kong and Cyprus.

She even spent 18 months on the Ascension Islands.

"It's a remote lump of volcanic rock in the middle of the Atlantic.

"People either loved or hated it there – and I absolutely adored it. Being posted there allowed me to indulge my love of scuba diving.

"Other major hobbies of mine are hillwalking and mountaineering – the RAF gave you the opportunity to do these things while also seeing the world.

"I always tried to take full advantage of every opportunity available."

On a much more serious note Dianne also served in both Gulf Wars, Afghanistan and Bosnia.

In Bosnia she was part of a first responder team which flew by helicopter into conflict zones.

In addition, during the Gulf conflicts she would fly to Iraq, then accompany the wounded back to the UK.

Dianne said: "When the conflicts came along you felt you were doing the job for which you'd been trained.

"I got a lot of satisfaction from getting people back home to the UK and their families. It could be very harrowing because the flights were long and, sometimes, you knew the casualties weren't going to make it – but at least they would die with their families by their sides."

Dianne McLeish in Afghanistan during 2009.
Dianne McLeish in Afghanistan during 2009.

It was the practical help provide by Help for Heroes provided which attracted Dianne to the charity.

She said: "Quite often the wounded arrived back in the UK with no possessions at all. Help for Heroes provided them with bags containing items such as spare clothes, MP3 music players and phone cards – things that would help them on their road recovery.

"The money raised by volunteers is well spent by the charity, in particular supporting individuals who need help at home or in returning to work or with mental health issues."

Dianne, who now lives in Burghead, left the military in 2011 as a warrant officer having reached the official retirement age of 55.

Afterwards she took on the voluntary role of Help for Heroes' co-ordinator for Moray and the Highlands.

Lynne Herbert from Morayvia hands over a cheque for £250 this week to Dianne McLeish of Help for Heroes. The money was raised from the sale of the Nimrod print in the foreground. Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.044268.
Lynne Herbert from Morayvia hands over a cheque for £250 this week to Dianne McLeish of Help for Heroes. The money was raised from the sale of the Nimrod print in the foreground. Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.044268.

In the years since she has undertaken a series of gruelling personal challenges for the charity, including climbing Ben Nevis in 2012 as well as a South African wilderness challenge.

Most recently, in February, she trekked 25 miles across the Sahara Desert alongside her god-daughter Zoe, with the pair raising almost £9000 in total.

Dianne, who has already received the charity’s Over and Above award for all her fundraising effort over the years, is now stepping down to concentrate on other things.

She said: "I've enjoyed every bit of it. I've loved having such a great of volunteers and have loved meeting all the people. I just feel now that it's the right time for some fresh blood to have a go, otherwise things can become a little stale.

"There are also a lot personal things I would like to do myself while I still can. For starters, I'm aiming to 'bag' all the Munros and I'm also planning to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia later this year.

"The charity is brilliant and whoever steps up will have a blast."

Yvonne Beattie, Help for Heroes Regional Volunteer Coordinator North, said: “We are so grateful for Dianne’s amazing contribution to Help for Heroes over the years. Her dedication and commitment has helped help us support wounded, injured and sick veterans and their families."

At the top of Ben Macdui
At the top of Ben Macdui
  • Help for Heroes supports those with injuries and illnesses attributable to their service in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, the charity believes that those prepared to put their lives second, deserve a second chance at life.
  • For more information, visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk
  • Anyone interested in helping can email Yvonne.Beattie@helpforheroes.org.uk
Dianne and others collecting outside Asda
Dianne and others collecting outside Asda

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