Rugby for Heroes receives £1,000

from Bristol Weekly Magazine 9th - 15th December 2021

Half a million pounds invested

Rugby for Heroes receives £1,000 donation from David Wilson Homes South West

A Gloucestershire charity which uses rugby to help ex-military personnel transition back to civilian life has thanked a local housebuilder for its £1,000 donation and challenged other businesses to match it.

Rugby for Heroes, which offers support from the local rugby community for people facing difficulties when they leave the Armed Forces, has received the funding from David Wilson Homes South West, which is building several new communities in the area.

The charity has already seen an increase in requests for support since the UK forces' departure from Afghanistan, and is now calling on other businesses to support them. They are currently working to raise £10,000 to run their next week long intensive course for ex-military personnel, many of whom are living with PTSD, mental health issues or physical injuries.

The rugby course teaches vital and core skills to enable men and women who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to become coaches and help to source employment opportunities.

Alongside this, the charity also provides a support network of people who understand the challenges ex-military personnel may face. 36 The coaching course costs £10,000 to run and is the only course of its kind in the UK due to its high intensity training style. Unlike other coaching qualifications which can take months to obtain, the course is completed and the Level 2 qualification obtained in one week

Alan Lamb, founder and head of fundraising of Rugby for Heroes said: "We are very grateful for David Wilson Homes' donation which will help us provide support for ex-servicemen and women transitioning back to everyday life. We're calling out to other businesses to match this support to help us run the next course for around 14 people. We've seen an increase in demand for our services in the last year, with more inquiries already coming in following the departure from Afghanistan.

There are many parallels between rugby and the military and when the time comes for a person to leave the Armed Forces, we believe the rugby community can offer a range of support and a sense of belonging to our returning heroes that is easy for them to relate to."

David Wilson Homes South West, which is building the nearby homes of Merlin Gate at Newent, is making the donation through its community fund, which provides monthly funding awards to local causes in the South West.

Louise Ware, sales director for David Wilson Homes' South West division, explains:

"We are so pleased to be able to help Rugby for Heroes with the inspiring work they do helping people leave the armed forces tackle the challenges of settling back into civilian life. We have quite a few residents in this area we've been able to help buy a home with our special armed forces discount and it seems fitting to be able to give some extra help to this community who often need help to adjust when they leave their close-knit community in the military." The housebuilder offers a 5% deposit contribution (up to £15,000) to all Britain's military servicemen and women on the purchase of their new home, through their Armed Forces Deposit Contribution Scheme, read more here: www.dwh.co.uk/offers/ armed-forces-deposit-contribution/ Together with its sister company Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes donate £3,000 every month to local causes in the South West as part of the company's commitment to supporting the communities where they are building new homes. David Wilson South West have now launched the show homes at their new development Merlin Gate, offering three and four-bedroom homes in the historic town Newent.