Athlete from Milton Keynes has twin mission at Commonwealth Games – winning gold and raising awareness of men’s mental health

However, Craig Bowler is not just looking to become the first bowler named Bowler to win a bowls medal but to raise awareness of men’s mental health.

Craig Bowler will be the first Team England athlete in action, as 11 days of sport gets under way in Birmingham, a remarkable story that comes full circle on the manicured lawns of Victoria Park.

A few weeks ago, Craig, 43, went back to the place where he tried to take his life 15 years ago.

Craig spent nearly two months in a coma, and lost both his legs and an arm before being 'nursed back to life' by his physiotherapist's assistant, Abby.

He and Abby are now married, with two children, Max and Tilly, who will be in the crowd at Leamington Spa to watch their dad, alongside Kieran Rollings, take on Scotland in the bowls men's pairs.

Said Craig: “I was just down all the time, I struggled getting out of bed, going to work,” he said.

“People around me didn’t notice any difference in how I was, I had a good career, lots of friends but something just exploded.

“One morning I just woke up and decided I didn't want to be here anymore.

“I can't remember the moment exactly; I can't remember the lead up to it. I can't remember it happening, I just remember waking up a month and a half later in hospital. That day I woke up I just remember being happy that I didn’t die.”

Suicide remains the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 and Craig has a twin mission in Birmingham - winning gold but also using his story as cautionary tale of what happens when you don’t reach out for help and support.

Craig first met in Abby in the months after the accident, icing his legs - he still calls her the 'Ice Queen' - and told him it would take three and a half years to walk on prosthetics. However, determined to prove her wrong, he managed it in just six weeks.

Abby said: “As open and honest as Craig is about what happened to him, it can't be easy, but I think it needs to be said, it needs to be seen, it needs to be heard.”

Craig added: “After my accident, a friend's dad invited me down to the local bowls club. I was like, it's an old man's game, that sort of stigma.

“So, I went down, I started playing and got good at it. The addictive personality started kicking in, wanting to win and became really, competitive.

"I could have sat in a wheelchair and felt sorry for myself, but I had a chance to live again and every negative I decided to turn into a positive.”

Craig once thought his biggest sporting claim to be fame would be as the first streaker at MK Dons – however it is fair to say that's about to change.

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