5 minute read
RBLI gives a warm welcome to Tommy Club heroes
JOSHUA’S
EPIC SLEEP OUT!
Tommy Club Champion and one of our biggest Great Tommy Sleep Out fundraisers, 11 year-old Joshua, has beaten 50,000 people to win the Fundraiser Award at BBC Radio Nottingham’s ‘Make a Difference’ Awards after raising over £10,000 for RBLI and vulnerable Armed Forces veterans.
The Great Tommy Sleep Out is an annual fundraising initiative created to raise awareness and funds for the thousands of homeless veterans still in vital need of support. Joshua has slept outside for over 100 nights, joining our cause and doing something truly incredible to support those in need.
Joshua says; “No one that has fought for our country deserves to be on the streets. If I can do something I really enjoy and raise money at the same time that will make a real difference, then that’s a no brainer for me.”
One of the nights he spent sleeping out was on RBLI’s village. Joshua and his parents came to meet some of our veterans and the people his fantastic fundraising is directly helping. He had a tour of our facilities and saw first-hand what he is helping us provide.
The young fundraiser had a great time touring round our social enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and meeting the veterans working there. He then pitched his tent in the Garden of Honour at the heart of RBLI’s village and slept there for the night.
Joshua has already started planning his Sleep Out for next year – his Mum and Dad have said they might rent out his room as he doesn’t really need it now!
Joshua really is the epitome of what the Tommy Club is about and we are so grateful to him for his amazing efforts.
Thank you to all of our Sleep Out Champions
Thank you for your amazing efforts in raising vital funds and awareness for vulnerable veterans still living on the streets. If you’re interested in taking part in next years’ Sleep Out, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at
fundraising@rbli.co.uk
rbli.co.uk/sleepout
BARRATT’S DEMENTIA GARDEN
In June 2022, RBLI held a grand opening for the village’s new Dementia Garden. This is a project that was driven by university graduates of Barratt Developments, Founding Patrons of the Tommy Club.
The graduates worked tirelessly to raise over £100,000 and organised focus groups to plan the perfect courtyard, giving the Bradbury House residents a beautiful and safe space to enjoy. The garden was designed to be very accessible, with wide resin paths to make it easier for wheelchairs to navigate, and different levels of planters. The plants were also carefully selected to provide a sensory experience, with a range of scents and textures.
Bradbury House residents were joined by RBLI’s Chief Executive, Lisa Farmer, to welcome Barratt Developments’ HR Director, Nick Worral, and Head of the Barratt Foundation, Andy Button-Stephens. Andy also heads up the Corporate Social Responsibility at Barratt’s.
We would like to thank Barratt Developments and their amazing graduates in achieving this outstanding achievement in support of our residents.
JOAN’S STORY
Joan is a Tommy Club Founding Patron and Gold Champion. She is one of the Tommy Club’s biggest ambassadors and is extremely supportive of our work.
Joan was a Leading Aircraftwoman during the Second World War. Her time in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) saw her work as a carpenter, fixing returning planes which had been protecting British skies.
Her military spirit has stayed with her for her entire life. At the age of 90, she lived alone as her husband, suffering with dementia, was in a care home. One night, Joan was the victim of an attempted burglary. However, her military might saw her successfully fight off the perpetrators with nothing taken in the end from Joan’s home.
Sadly however, her sense of loneliness and anxiety increased after this distressing incident. After a short time in hospital Joan did not want to be sent home and was referred to RBLI where she could receive much-needed support to help her regain her confidence.
In 2015, Joan moved into RBLI’s assisted living accommodation, Queen Elizabeth Court and became a very active member of the community. Now in her late nineties, Joan has recently moved to our new dementia care facility, Bradbury House.
ALAN MAKES THE LEAP!
On 20 September 2022, Tommy Club Champion and Armed Forces veteran Alan, took to the skies over Kent for his longawaited Skydive from 10,000ft!
In 1972 at just 18 years old, Alan was posted to Northern Ireland. Then just 10 years later he joined the Falklands war. When Alan finished his service in the forces and returned to civilian life, he struggled to cope with the awful things he had experienced. Alan turned to alcohol to help him sleep and cope with the terrible thoughts he was having.
Reflecting now, Alan knows this was the beginning of his PTSD. His family sought help for him, turning to RBLI for support. Alan moved into our emergency accommodation, Mountbatten Pavilion, and was given wraparound support. Gradually, he regained hope that life would get easier.
Alan decided that he wanted to raise money for RBLI and the Tommy Club so he could give back and help other veterans in the future, as he had been helped. A skydive has been on Alan’s bucket list for a very long time. In 2005, Alan’s late father challenged himself to take on a Skydive when he was 80 years old! This gave Alan the inspiration to follow in his father’s footsteps and take on this challenge for himself.
Alan has managed to raise over £900 so far for RBLI and the Tommy Club, and counting. We are so proud of him for taking on this challenge and cannot thank him enough for supporting us.
