Nick Bailey to deliver talks on trauma of Salisbury Novichok poisoning and impact on mental health
The former police officer wants to help other people struggling with their mental well-being
Nick Bailey spent two and half weeks in intensive care at Salisbury District Hospital after he was poisoned with Novichok when he attended Sergei Skripal's home in March 2018.
The nerve agent had been sprayed on the former Russian spy's door handle.
Whilst Nick's physical scars may have appear to have healed the emotional ones have taken their toll.
He and his wife and two daughters lost his family home in Alderholt along with possessions due to contamination.
In October he announced he was leaving Wiltshire Police after 18 years admitting he "can no longer do the job" and that the aftermath "took so much from me."
Now Nick is teaming up with Chartwell Speakers to give talks on the impact of the incident and how he's coped since.
Nick told Greatest Hits Radio Salisbury he hit a low point last year.
"You get to a certain point where you realise you are not in a good place and you are suffering from depression. It kind of crept on me and tapped me on the shoulder."
Nick says he turned a corner when he started being honest with himself and "acknowledging how he felt" and "accepting that he can't change what happened."
He says he doesn't want to let what happened on that fateful day three years ago "define him in a negative way" and hopes to reach out to others struggling and help break the stigma around mental health.
His passion, dedication and committment to helping others remains strong.
"I joined the Police because I wanted to do good things and do right by good people and that's still ingrained in me whether I'm in the Police or not. If I can do something good in this setting by talking and sharing my story and sharing what I learned about myself to others and if that helps other people then that's a good thing."
Chartwell Speakers say they're 'proud' to be representing Nick Bailey and have praised his 'resilience.'