Centre near Telford aids veterans battle back to health
For many of the soldiers taking part in Prince Harry's Invictus Games, their recovery has been a long, hard road.
The rehabilitation facilities at Headley Court have become well known, but another piece of the puzzle is the MoD's Battle Back Centre, which helps wounded, injured and sick military personnel rebuild their lives.
The centre, part of the MoD's wider Battle Back programme, is based at the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall, near Telford, and helps about 600 Army, Navy and RAF personnel every year.
Funded by Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion, it provides day courses or week-long residential multi-activity courses including climbing, watersports, wheelchair basketball and archery, as well as personal development coaching.
Commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Thomas, said the courses give servicemen and women the confidence to face up to the changes in their lives.
He said: "We have a full range of people here, from those who have been wounded on operations, those who have been injured on operations or injured in non-operational incidents, and those who are long-term sick."
With personnel ranging from triple amputees to people with terminal cancer, he said: "The big takeaway for most of them is improving their confidence.
"Many of them have had life-changing injuries, many are having to face up to leaving the service, so what we're trying to do is give them the confidence to face up to what they need to do in terms of that recovery."
Many servicemen and women hoping to take part in the Invictus Games this September will have been through the Battle Back Centre as part of their recovery, he said.
"The games is something many of them will aspire to, but it's not the be-all and end-all, particularly for most of the individuals who come through the centre or any other Battle Back activities," he added.
For Royal Engineer Corporal Richard Jobson, who was injured in Afghanistan in January 2013 when a member of the Afghan National Army (ANA) opened fire inside a patrol base, a multi-activity course at the centre helped him realise what he can still do despite his injuries.
The 33-year-old, from Alnwick, Northumberland, said:
"They're good here at adapting things, so you know you can do it where you might have thought you couldn't."
For Corporal Nicole Cunningham, the course helped rebuild the confidence she lost through suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and she is now going on to a teaching career.
