My Life: Joshua Phillips, 18, Bridgend

I was very unfit when I signed up for the Military Preparation College. I remember the first time I was asked to run a mile-and-a-half – it took more than 15 minutes and I could barely manage to do 10 press ups.

My military roots go back to my great-grandfather, and I had always dreamed of joining the Royal Welsh regiment. But at 17 stone, I was more than four stone overweight, and I knew I had to make a big change in order to pass the Army’s tough selection process.

Living in Llandbybie, my nearest college branch was nearly 40 miles away in Bridgend. I would travel for two hours daily on two trains and a bus, not getting home until 7 pm. Once back, I would take over as the primary carer of my mum, who suffers from a condition affecting the nerves in her legs that means she is confined to a wheelchair. I have been my mum’s carer for eight years, sharing this with my stepfather.