A veteran business owner is organising a 12-hour weightlifting marathon for Help for Heroes.

Alex Berezynskyj, 32, was an infantryman with the Royal Anglian Regiment, The Vikings, until a shock medical discharge in 2018.

Following his departure, Alex became a personal trainer in a civilian gym then branched out and launched his brand Combat Fuel Supplements Ltd, based in Amesbury.

Since then, Combat Fuel has supported other veterans through donations and fundraising for the Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes, with its total standing at more than £20,000.

Salisbury Journal: Alex Berezynskyj.Alex Berezynskyj. (Image: Help for Heroes)

On June 25, the brand is hosting ‘Lift for Heroes’, a 12-hour weightlifting marathon, at Southern Quarter, Salisbury, and Tactical Transformations, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham.

Alex aims to get more than 500 people to attend each venue to lift as big a total as possible, between 7am and 7pm.

All ages and skill levels are welcome to attend the event and Alex is aiming for each location to lift "at least one million kilograms" total.

Help for Heroes, headquartered in Downton, gave Alex a chance to get his life back on the rails after he was admitted to a psychiatric unit and even contemplated suicide.

Alex said he was "on the brink of losing everything" but the charity helped get him out of his shell.

He added: “I started talking again, I began to acknowledge the impact my mental health was having on my life and accepted I would never be the ‘old me again’.

“The judgement-free zone, being able to undertake therapy and talk freely without fear of being detained and being put back into a psychiatric ward, was invaluable to my recovery.”

Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service.

The charity helps them, and their families, to recover and get on with their lives and has already supported more than 27,000 people.

Help for Heroes supports veterans from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked alongside the Armed Forces.

To find out more, or to get support, visit helpforheroes.org.uk.