A VETERAN who rediscovered her love for painting with the help of a Colchester recovery centre is set to show her appreciation by designing gifts to sell on the charity’s behalf.

Andrea Bartlett, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from the age of 19, was medically discharged in 2011 because of an eye condition.

She found she struggled to find her pride and confidence in civilian life.

However, with the help of the Help for Heroes’ Chavasse VC House recovery centre, in Colchester, she rekindled her passion for painting.

By the end of 2017, she found her confidence had slowly began to return.

She said: “I love painting animals, so wanted to paint an animal that represented how I feel sometimes in civvy street.

“I thought that the British lion was the best representation of the bravery and pride of the British soldier.

“I gave him a shocked and stunned look, to portray how many veterans feel when they enter civvy street: Lost.”

Many veterans find they are unprepared and unequipped to adjust to civilian life post-armed forces.

Andrea said: “After I was discharged, it took me a while to realise that I had lost the pride in myself as a person.

“Creativity has helped me find myself again; its calmed my nerves and eased my frustrations, especially on days that I’m struggling. It has given me direction.”

Andrea, from Rutland, is one of five veterans selected by Help for Heroes to help design a new range of products to raise funds for the charity.

Chavasse VC House is a recovery centre which is available for any veteran suffering with physical or mental difficulties.

Support is also given to their families who also suffer the aftermath of injuries.

In 2014, the Gazette supported the £100,000 appeal to create the Hope on the Horizon garden at the centre.

A spokesman for the centre said: “Andrea also exhibited some of her paintings here during our Creative Force exhibition last year.

“If veterans are inspired to take up painting as part of their recovery then we offer that here.”

Andrea’s tea towel set and T-shirts are available to purchase by visiting https://shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/collections/andrea-bartlett-designed-products