FRONTLINE
PARTNERSHIPS & PHILANTHROPY
RESILIENCE IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY WITH WO1 KIM HUGHES GC This May, we were delighted to virtually host City and military professionals for our first livestream event, ‘Resilience in Times of Adversity with WO1 Kim Hughes GC’.
WORKING WITH VITAX TO PROVIDE HORTICULTURAL THERAPY FOR INJURED SERVICE PERSONNEL We are delighted to be working with our partner Vitax to provide horticultural therapy for members of the Armed Forces who are wounded, injured and sick. The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Stanford Hall is a world-leading clinical rehabilitation centre for service personnel, which last year received a £7.1m investment from our charity. Through our partnership, the centre has received 100 bags of Vitax compost to help deliver a year’s worth of horticultural therapy. This service, provided by our partner charity HighGround, forms an essential part of an individual’s rehabilitation journey by providing a sense of purpose, hope and achievement through gardening. To witness first-hand the difference the donation will make to patients, a tour of the DMRC outdoor gardens took place earlier this year.
26
The DMRC is a fantastic facility and it is hugely rewarding to see what a difference gardening can make to both the mental health and physical wellbeing of servicemen and women. We have worked with ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for the past two years and are thrilled to work with one of its partners on such an innovative programme, which is changing lives as a result of alternative therapies. Paul Gooding, Chairman of Vitax
Our keynote speaker for the evening, Warrant Officer Class One Kim Hughes GC - the most highly decorated Bomb Disposal Operator in the Armed Forces – shared his experiences of adapting to the toughest of working environments. Serving three operational tours of Afghanistan as a High Threat Improvised Explosive Device Disposal Operator, Kim was awarded the George Cross in 2009 for his extraordinary actions in Helmand Province. During deployment, Kim risked his own life to save the lives of comrades by defusing 118 IEDs, including seven by hand without any protective clothing. Kim continues to serve in the British Army and is now the Group Senior Ammunition Technician, 29 EOD & Search Group. Following Kim’s talk, questions were taken from viewers. Topics covered personal resilience on operations, effective teamwork and how to continue to be resilient in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Kim for the remarkable insight into his 22-year Army career. Our thanks also go to Kate Billingham Wilson, our Head of Partnerships & Philanthropy and Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, our Chief of Staff, for facilitating the evening and representing our charity.
To keep updated on our networking events, please contact influencersnetwork@
soldierscharity.org
