Army veteran to share stories of survival, identity and resilience

Claire Ashton has a story - or two - to tell.

For a start, she attracted national attention when she transitioned to become a woman in the 1990s.

She also survived an avalanche on Ben Nevis, a lightning strike in the Alps and a near-fatal cycling crash, served in the Army during the Troubles and worked as a police firearms officer.

Now the 75-year-old, from Uffington, Shropshire, is bringing those experiences, along with decades of campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights, to a one-woman show in Shrewsbury.

Ashton said the event, at The Hive on 28 October, would feature "stories of service, survival, identity, injustice, resilience, love and absurdity".

"I've always thought of this as being totally uninteresting to other people, but obviously other people have got a different opinion," she said.

The former Royal Artillery soldier has previously spoken about being discharged from the Army after being thought to be gay at a time when homosexuality was banned in the armed forces.

She later joined West Mercia Police, becoming a firearms officer and representing both the police national team and Great Britain in shooting competitions.

But Ashton said she was forced to leave after transitioning at the age of 45, a change that brought intense media attention.

"I had every national newspaper banging on my door," she said.

While she said she had developed "a very thick skin", some of the coverage was difficult for her and her family.

"It was particularly horrific for my wife," she said.

Ashton has spent the past 30 years campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights and said she was prepared to answer any questions from audience members during the show, including those about trans issues.

Reflecting on her younger years, she said: "When I was in the Army I knew I was different.

"The bullies didn't really know what they were bullying me for, but they knew I was different."

She said she felt young transgender people now often faced hostility that could have a devastating impact.

"What I want is for people in the audience to go home and say to their friends, relatives and workmates: 'I met a trans woman. She was just ordinary, she was just like me.'"

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