5 minute read
PARTNERSHIPS AND PHILANTHROPY
PARTNERSHIPS & PHILANTHROPY
WORKING WITH VITAX TO PROVIDE HORTICULTURAL THERAPY FOR INJURED SERVICE PERSONNEL
Advertisement
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. 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
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’.
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
RAISING A TOAST ON VE DAY WITH TOMMY PALE ALE
While we may not have been able to come together physically to honour VE Day this year, family brewer Wadworth invited communities to raise a toast in remembrance with Tommy Pale Ale. For every bottle sold, 5p is donated towards our work supporting soldiers, veterans and their families in need.
VE Day marks 75 years since Winston Churchill announced the surrender of German fighting forces, bringing an end to World War Two in Europe. In honour of this event, Wadworth encouraged customers and followers of its virtual pub, The Henry, to share plans of their VE Day celebrations – whether that be dressing up, hosting a virtual afternoon tea, creating window signs or raising a toast with neighbours while practising social distancing.
The history of Wadworth is quite a journey – from being one of the first suppliers to the Army Canteen Board (later re-named the NAAFI) after the outbreak of World War One, to operating during the rationing of World War Two. Today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Wadworth is hosting a team of service personnel who are decontaminating vehicles at one of their pubs, The Beckford Inn in Gloucestershire. Our partnership with Tommy Pale Ale celebrates these shared links to the Armed Forces and marks the establishment of our charity in 1944 to care for returning World War Two soldiers and their families.
20 YEARS OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION WITH BAE SYSTEMS
We are proud to have a long-standing history of over 10 years working with BAE Systems to support the Army family. In the past decade, our partnership has provided educational and vocational training grants to soldiers and veterans experiencing difficulties finding a civilian career. Thanks to employee fundraising and grants from BAE Systems, hundreds of soldiers in need have had the opportunity to find appropriate work
£303,500 FROM THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO SUPPORTS THE ARMY FAMILY WITH HOUSING NEEDS
In August 2019, we were delighted to receive a further grant of £303,500 from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This was part of the Tattoo’s charitable donations totalling £1 million, given to 13 UK-based charitable military organisations and arts bodies. The event, which ordinarily takes place in August at the iconic Edinburgh Castle, is a worldclass public military event with a history spanning 70 years, rooted in Scottish tradition. Sadly, it has been cancelled this year due to coronavirus but we look forward to an even more spectacular event in 2021.
The donation from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has gone primarily towards our work with soldiers, veterans and their families in need of housing support – whether it be our work with partner organisations helping homeless
and restore their dignity. This year, BAE Systems will be supporting our wider grants programme to ensure that those in immediate crisis and need are supported following the COVID-19 crisis. Amongst other things, their support will provide training for those facing unemployment, respite breaks for those with family challenges and living costs for those impacted by the pandemic.
Our thanks go to BAE Systems for their continued support and for working with us flexibly in these unprecedented times.
veterans, our individual housing grants or care-home fees for elderly veterans experiencing hardship. This generous contribution has meant that members of the Army family can live with independence and dignity.
To find out more about The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, please visit
