MALMESBURY RAF veteran Andy Phillips has to wait to the end of the month to find out if he will once again be heading off to the Invictus Games - and this time he could have his sister Clare by his side, as both are bidding to compete for GB in archery.

Former RAF Aircraft Technician Weapons Andy, 51, competed in London in 2014 and in Orlando last year. Clare, 49, who is still serving as an Aircraft Technician Mechanical at RAF Odiham, is new to Invictus, having been encouraged to take part by Andy after seeing how beneficial archery has been in his recovery. Now both hope to make the team in Canada in September.

He was medically discharged after 10 years of service, having sustained a spinal injury during the First Gulf War. His injury limited his physical ability but it was the impact that the injury and having to give up his military career had on his mental health that held him back for the next 20 years.

“I suffered from depression and I had anger issues but I didn’t realise it,” he explained. "I developed an addiction to prescribed drugs and at one point I was homeless. My recovery should have started in 1993 but it didn’t start until 2014 when I heard about the Invictus Games and approached Help for Heroes.

“I thought it was a tiny event but it’s grown into this beast. It’s opened so many doors. I was on a destructive path. I found so many things to be angry about and would look at what I couldn’t do. The Invictus Games has taught me what I can do and it has totally changed my life.”

Clare Langham-Phillips is the most senior female non-commissioned officer at RAF Odiham. She has served for 30 years but since 2013 illness has limited her career. Eventually in 2016 Clare was told by Headley Court, where her brother went through rehabilitation after his injury 25 years earlier, that she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The diagnosis and years of unexplained illness have had a big impact on her.

“For a while I fell apart,” said Clare. “I would have anxiety going out. I would completely shut down. It affected my relationship with my wife when we didn’t know what was wrong with me. I’d claim to be fine with my life but I wouldn’t discuss my career. I planned to serve until I was 55 but I’m now likely to be medically discharged. I’ve lost what I had.”

Clare was encouraged to try archery while at Headley Court. Inspired by seeing her brother turn his life around, she was keen to give it a go but chose not to be in direct competition, explaining: “I didn’t want to compete against my brother so I chose to have a go at recurve archery, not compound which is his area.

"When I attended the first Invictus training camp in January I was apprehensive. If Andrew hadn’t been there to support me I’d have found it very difficult. At the next camp although I was nervous as soon as I saw some friendly faces I knew I was fine. It’s not all about winning medals. It’s the whole ethos of the journey and being in an environment with others who know how you feel.”

Andy added: “In most competitions you’re there to beat your opponents but at the Invictus Games you’re all part of the same family even when you’re from a different country. Yes you want to win, but there’s a bigger purpose.”

Andy and Clare have found archery psychologically empowering, a feeling understood by many of those who take part in sport to support recovery.

Andy commented: “The mental focus you have on a single piece of paper in that moment makes anything else in your head go away as your one focus is on the target.

The Invictus Games set out to harness the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for our wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. After the trial event in Bath recently, the UK team will be selected based on the benefit the Invictus Games will give an individual as part of their recovery, combined with performance and commitment to training. The trials featured 11 sports: athletics, archery, wheelchair basketball, road cycling, golf, powerlifting, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby, swimming, sitting volleyball and wheelchair tennis.

Jayne Kavanagh, Chef De Mission for the UK team, said: “The legacy of the Invictus Games is clear to see through the fact that more than 300 hopefuls are vying for their place on the team, 212 of which haven’t taken part in a previous Games. The Invictus Games in London and Orlando demonstrated how powerful sport is as a means of rebuilding confidence as well as aiding physical and mental recovery. Trials provided the opportunity for hopefuls to demonstrate both their performance ability and, more importantly, their commitment towards both the UK Team and their personal recovery journeys. It is brilliant to see how the success of the first and second Invictus Games has not only supported the recovery of those who took part but also inspired so many others to rebuild their lives through sport.”

Continued training will take place across the country at Recovery Centres and other venues as part of Help for Heroes’ Sports Recovery programme to train, select and develop the team. The MOD is a partner in the Defence Recovery Capability, a programme which helps wounded, injured and sick Service personnel either return to duty from injury or transition back into civilian life. The Royal British Legion will be supporting the Friends and Family of the UK Team as part of its work to recognise the vital and valuable contribution that family and friends make to the recovery of wounded, injured or sick Service personnel and veterans.