Kelli Banks

Why I’m Taking on the ABF Cateran Yomp

I joined the British Army at 16, just a week after 9/11, and service shaped me in ways I’ll carry forever - resilience, discipline, humour, loyalty, and the kind of grit you don’t learn anywhere else.

But like many veterans, the hardest battles didn’t always happen in uniform.

I left the Armed Forces in December 2019, just before Covid changed the world. That timing made my transition to civilian life feel brutally isolating. The structure, identity and community I’d known for years suddenly disappeared - and the world shut down at the exact moment I needed connection the most. Over time, my mental health suffered, and there were moments where I’ve felt so low I’ve considered the most unthinkable options.

What has carried me through is remembering this: I made it home, when so many others didn’t. I hold deep gratitude for that, and I know my fortitude is testament to the skills moulded in service. But I also know this - had I accepted my veteran status sooner, I might have reached out earlier and accessed support through charities like ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

That’s why I’m taking on the Cateran Yomp.

I’m doing it for my fellow brothers and sisters - especially those facing their darkest moments - to remind them they are not alone, and that support is there.

More recently, I’ve been diagnosed with cervical foraminal stenosis, which has finally explained the chronic pain I’ve lived with since I was 19. At times it can leave me unable to manage normal daily tasks - the Cateran Yomp challenge will test me, and I rise to it.

It is my intention to complete the full 54 miles, carrying all the friends I’ve lost, every step of the way.

If you can support my fundraising, I would be forever grateful. Thank you.