Shropshire chosen for £30m troops rehabilitation centre

A new £30 million specialist rehabilitation centre to treat injured soldiers is to be created in Shropshire, bosses of the Royal British Legion have revealed.

The Battle Back Centre, which could treat up to 800 injured troops a year at Lilleshall, near Newport, is expected to open next year.

The project, which is being run in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, is designed to focus on sports and adventure training to help rehabilitate wounded personnel. Lilleshall is already home to the National Sports Centre.

It is hoped it would give people injured in the line of duty the confidence and self-esteem to get back into civilian life or restart their service career.

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said: "Our Battle Back Centre is a state-of-the-art facility that we're creating and running in partnership with the Ministry of Defence as part of our commitment to the defence recovery capability for wounded, injured and sick service personnel.

"It will be a national centre of excellence for adaptive sport and adventurous training designed to accelerate physical, psychological and social recovery of injured service personnel.

"Sport and adventure activities are proven to help recovery, improve self-esteem and confidence and promote a positive outlook.

"Using these techniques, the Battle Back Centre will help wounded, injured and sick personnel to recover and either to return to service or to successfully join civilian life.

"We are spending £30 million on creating and running this ground-breaking, and potentially life-changing, new facility."

The Battle Back Centre, which will have doctors, nurses and other health professionals provided by the MoD, will be entirely funded and run by the RBL, which launched its 90th anniversary Poppy appeal over the weekend.

Last year former Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would contribute towards the cost.

His spokesman said: "Tony Blair decided on leaving office that he would donate the proceeds of his memoirs to a charity for the armed forces as a way of marking the enormous sacrifice they make for the security of our people and the world. The Royal British Legion is just such a cause.

"Tony Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the armed forces demonstrate day in, day out."

By Jason Lavan