WHILE lesser woodworking courses might set simple tasks such as making bird tables or toys, Phoenix House enlisted the help of musician and guitar-maker Phil Biggs, who helped veterans to build stunning, handcrafted electric guitars.

Veteran Mike Perkins, from Catterick, is a keen guitar player, so when he heard about the guitar-making course to be run at Phoenix House recovery centre for wounded, injured and sick veterans, he decided to go and find out more.

“I suffer from PTSD and have struggled a lot over the years. I had a full career in the infantry in the Coldstream Guards until I was medically discharged in 2008 and basically my life was at rock bottom,” he said.

“I was living in the Beacon in Catterick Garrison, accommodation for homeless veterans in 2001 for 18 months and I started to pull myself back together.”

But he said he tried to run before he could walk – taking on too much with a DJ slot at British Forces radio which led to a build-up of his anxiety and anger problems.

“I wasn’t that nice to be around. But coming to Phoenix House has helped so much.”

The guitar making course started last summer, and Mr Perkins admits there were weeks early on when he thought he would quit, but slowly he fell in love with the precision woodworking skill involved, and the concentration which allowed him to forget about his anxiety once a week.

He said: “Everything was so precise I soon got lost in it. With the help from Phil I have achieved my aim of completing a guitar and to be honest when I did finish I was quite emotional.

“It was such a wonderful experience, not just making the guitar but also the camaraderie in our small group. I didn’t know it at the time but now I can see how far I have come with my anxiety – and I am planning to make my second guitar already.”

Matt Wightman, from Catterick, is also battling PTSD which stems from his involvement in conflicts in Northern Ireland and Bosnia in the 1980s and early 1990s.

He said: “I am normally very quiet and reserved, but slowly in our small group I came out of my shell.

“The course has given me so much confidence – just the knowledge that I can achieve a goal which seemed so impossible when we started.

“I have even joined Bravo 22 – the Royal British Legion’s recovery through the arts programme – and performed on stage at the Newcastle Theatre Royal, something I never thought I’d be able to do.”

Specialist guitar-making Mr Biggs has no connection to the Armed Forces but decided to offer to donate his time to the charity after reading about the centre's woodwork shop.

He said: "Phoenix House asked me to run a guitar-making workshop and at first I was unsure, because it is such a big commitment. You can't just make one in a couple of hours, it is months of work.

"But I'm glad we went ahead with it because the results have been outstanding. The veterans have built fantastic instruments, and have all come a long way in building their self esteem, which is a wonderful side-effect to what I wanted to do."