REW06
July 29, 2022
The first of our Rural Experience Weeks funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust under their Veterans People Pathways People programme started at Bicton on Sunday 24th July – what a sunny week it was..!
VPPP continues the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s aim to fund projects which improve the wellbeing and mental health of veterans, and we were joined by veterans from the Army and Royal Navy, referred by Walking With the Wounded, Supporting Wounded Veterans, Poppy Factory and Veterans Hub Plymouth for a week of outdoor activity at Bicton College in Devon.
Monday started with hands-on Landscaping sessions run by Tony Goodridge from Unique Projects Devon which involved the use of military skills including teamwork and accuracy, with a healthy bit of competitiveness thrown in for good measure..
Tuesday saw our veterans split into two groups with Matt and Kirsty from Hi-Line leading one group in the Park to learn about rope access and climbing, while Lee Kimber, a Rural Week alumni now a qualified Chainsaw instructor led the other group to learn about chainsaw maintenance and techniques with a swap at lunchtime.
In the evening Rob and Chrissie at Budleigh Riding School hosted a visit to meet the horses – a lovely end to the day.
Another day of sunshine on Wednesday saw the same groups split again to share Forest School with Lee Kimber and Martin from The Outdoors Group and our friends Ian and Dan who travelled from Hampshire to deliver their Blacksmithing workshop and in the evening Tom Garner spoke about his career in the Royal Marines and his Deer Management role on the Clinton Devon estate – a fascinating journey.
We welcomed Matt and Kirsty back on Thursday for a day of Emergency First Aid + F which stands for Forestry.
In addition to brushing up their First Aid skills which they will have learned in the military, the + F is specifically for those working outdoors and includes extremes of hot and cold; catastrophic bleeds and crush injuries and Lyme disease.
The week ended on Friday morning with a motivation and next steps presentation by Phil Sampson from Sampson Hall and then it was time for awarding the First Aid + F certificates before heading home.
Huge thanks to everyone who made the week possible – to The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust for funding it, to our hosts at Bicton for looking after us so well and to all those who gave their time to speak, host and facilitate.
Last Word:
We ask all the veterans who join us for a Rural Experience Week to complete a questionnaire at the begining and the end of the week.
One of the questions asks ‘What have you learned this week?’ and below is one of the replies:
That my life is going in the right direction.
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