A Suffolk woman who served in the Royal Air Force before being widowed has been announced as a competitor at the 2022 Veteran Games and Conference in Israel next week.

Mandy Small, from Rendlesham, served 12 years in the Air Force, before losing her husband, who also served in the military for 21 years, to suicide in 2016 aged just 44.

Since then Mandy and her son Jamie have been raising money and awareness for the charities which helped them.

Now Mandy and Jamie are heading to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem later this week, with Mandy competing in the shooting and swimming at the games.

The event, first held in 2019, will see 65 wounded, sick and injured British army veterans compete against their Israeli counterparts.

The event doubles up as a mental health conference and allows veterans to meet and share experiences.

Mandy said: “I’m very excited to say that I’m representing Great Britain.

“It’s an honour to be asked to go out there, and because of what we’ve been through with Chris people forget that I served. I was diagnosed with PTSD after being injured in Iraq in 2007.

“It’s quite nice to go out because of me."

The games take place between May 29 and June 3, and Mandy is looking forward to the action but also believes that the event represents a good chance to share experiences with the veteran community.

She said: “I’m so excited, I thrive in a veteran environment because we get each other.

“We’re all quite competitive, so competing against each other is going to be good fun and it’s a good way of meeting people in the same situation as you.

“Over the four days it’s a mental health conference, talking about how we’re moving forwards in terms of stigma and where people can go for help.

“In that regard, it’s so important because obviously a lot of veterans are struggling and if they hear that people are getting help then hopefully that’ll help them reach out.

“It’s really important because you're still part of that community because I think some people feel that when they leave the forces that you’ve left that community you’ve been in for years, but now it’s proven the veteran's community is just as important as the force's community.

“I’m looking forward to the shooting. I used to be a good shot when I was serving but it’s been a fair few years.

“I would love to bring a medal home but it’s about the taking part for me and having that experience of being out there."