Military veterans praise ‘life changing’ support programme
Military veterans who attended Loughborough University’s first mental wellbeing support programme have described it as ‘life changing’.
Created by the University and the Royal Air Forces Association, the resilience programme invited small groups of veterans onto campus for a five-day residential stay.
During their stay they took part in range of activities, including social resilience workshops, practical healthy cooking lessons, sessions on improving sleep quality and team-based physical activity such as wheelchair basketball, walking football and pilates.
All the activities were specifically designed to enhance the mental wellbeing of attendees.
The project was conceived and led by Wing Commander (Retd) Dr Craig White, from Loughborough’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, with support from Dr Jamie Barker, Dr Kristen Clements and Dr Chris McLeod. It was designed following a consultation with veterans and was open to former members of all three military services – the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force – who are suffering with mental wellbeing issues.
Speaking about his time on the programme, veteran Mark Eyres said: “When you are struggling with your mental health you lose sight of what is important - sleeping, eating, friendship.
“For me, this course was life changing. We need to ensure that other veterans who are struggling can access this amazing programme, so I would urge any organisation that can help fund the continuation of this vital project to get in touch.”
Dr White said: “It was a true honour to be able to host 16 veterans on the Loughborough campus and provide them with support and life skills that will make a real difference to their quality of life. Seeing what an impact it has had on the attendees makes the whole team even more determined to find further funding. We would encourage anyone who thinks they can help support this incredible programme to get in touch.”
Rory O’Connor, the RAF Association’s Director of Welfare and Wellbeing, said: “We are delighted that the courses are having such a positive impact on veterans’ wellbeing, and it is our hope that the programme will continue.”
Talks are already under way to run further veteran support programmes at the campus in 2023.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
Military veterans who attended Loughborough University’s first mental wellbeing support programme have described it as ‘life changing’.
Created by the University and the Royal Air Forces Association, the resilience programme invited small groups of veterans onto campus for a five-day residential stay.
During their stay they took part in range of activities, including social resilience workshops, practical healthy cooking lessons, sessions on improving sleep quality and team-based physical activity such as wheelchair basketball, walking football and pilates.
All the activities were specifically designed to enhance the mental wellbeing of attendees.
The project was conceived and led by Wing Commander (Retd) Dr Craig White, from Loughborough’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, with support from Dr Jamie Barker, Dr Kristen Clements and Dr Chris McLeod. It was designed following a consultation with veterans and was open to former members of all three military services – the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force – who are suffering with mental wellbeing issues.
Speaking about his time on the programme, veteran Mark Eyres said: “When you are struggling with your mental health you lose sight of what is important - sleeping, eating, friendship.
“For me, this course was life changing. We need to ensure that other veterans who are struggling can access this amazing programme, so I would urge any organisation that can help fund the continuation of this vital project to get in touch.”
Dr White said: “It was a true honour to be able to host 16 veterans on the Loughborough campus and provide them with support and life skills that will make a real difference to their quality of life. Seeing what an impact it has had on the attendees makes the whole team even more determined to find further funding. We would encourage anyone who thinks they can help support this incredible programme to get in touch.”
Rory O’Connor, the RAF Association’s Director of Welfare and Wellbeing, said: “We are delighted that the courses are having such a positive impact on veterans’ wellbeing, and it is our hope that the programme will continue.”
Talks are already under way to run further veteran support programmes at the campus in 2023.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
