A VETERAN who became a counsellor after leaving the Navy is on a mission to support armed forces veterans, third sector workers and others struggling with mental health issues.

Former Royal Navy sailor Mark Walsh is one of a dozen social entrepreneurs to join Innovate for Good – the first business incubator in the region dedicated to developing social enterprises.

Launched earlier this month by the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC), the incubator provides a six-month programme of training and support to businesspeople with ideas to change the world for the better.

Mr Walsh, from Sunderland, is now working with specialist advisors, a dedicated mentor and other social entrepreneurs to explore how his business, Lighthouse Therapy Group CIC, can reach more people and have a greater impact in the region.

He said: “I joined the Navy at the age of 17 and became very aware of the mental health challenges facing veterans and those in service and always wanted to do something about it. That’s why I trained to become a counsellor and launched my own practice.

“Since then I’ve become aware of the pressures on so many others, including hard-working people who are simply struggling to balance the pressures of modern life and suffering with anxiety and low self-esteem.

“I’m determined to find ways to help people find some peace, to reconnect with the world around them, with each other and themselves.”

Mr Walsh has worked closely with the BIC’s social enterprise manager Kevin Marquis to develop his community interest company as an extension of his existing counselling practice Lighthouse Therapy Group.

He is also working with a coach and a dedicated mentor to grow the business in a bid to bring about maximum benefit to the community and collaborating with other social entrepreneurs to consider innovative solutions to real-world problems posed by regional organisations, including the need to provide training and work experience opportunities to people suffering with mental health issues.

Mark added: “Innovate for Good has provided me with a network of invaluable contacts and direct access to real-life scenarios that are already leading to inspiring ideas. This is an incredibly worthwhile initiative and the timing couldn’t be better for such an effort to bring about positive change in the world.

“I’d like to think that this is just the beginning of a new wave of socially-conscious businesses in the North-East and it’s really exciting to be part of this process of change. It would be naïve to think that my individual project will lead to a huge shift in society but even small ripples make a big difference.”