British Armed Forces veterans will have the opportunity to improve their mental and physical health through activities in the great outdoors – all for free thanks to a Veterans’ Foundation grant.
Okehampton Community and Recreation Association (OCRA) and Pegasus Outdoor Ventures have teamed up to offer ‘woodland therapy’ to veterans who have experienced PTSD or are struggling in other ways with their physical or mental health, homelessness and more.
Thanks to the VF grant, funded places are available for veterans in need to benefit from the enjoyment of staying in the woodlands and spending time in nature with their contemporaries, whilst learning new skills or reinvigorating old ones.
OCRA are providing administration support to the project as well as assisting with referral streams and their General Manager, Ian Blythe was delighted with the award.
"This vital scheme has been excellently set up by Chris Bourne and Pegasus Outdoor Ventures and we are extremely proud to have helped secure funding for the next two years from the Veterans' Foundation,” he said.
“Having visited the site, it is incredibly calming with a simplicity to it that will benefit all that attend the sessions. Thank you to the Veterans’ Foundation for supporting this opportunity."
Pegasus Outdoor Ventures was established in 2006 and is named in memory of Lead Instructor Chris Bourne’s father who was rescued from Dunkirk and then, with the 6th Airborne, landed at Pegasus Bridge on D-Day, 6th June 1944, in the second wave of gliders.
It was formalised when taking a group of youngsters to South Africa for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition and residential sections.
"Pegasus Outdoor Ventures provides woodland therapy for mental health Issues, rest and recuperation alongside bushcraft and survival skills tuition and training, so it's a natural fit for many who have a service background,” explained Chris.
“This funding from the Veterans’ Foundation is tremendous and will provide for this aspect of our provision over the next two years."
This venture is one of more than 350 charities and organisations around the UK who have received a grant from the Veterans’ Foundation since its inception back in 2016, with the total value of grants now totalling an incredible £11.5 million.
But this incredible success would not have been possible were it not for the generosity of the public and their donations, as well as the players of the Veterans’ Lottery, who have made the majority of grants possible.
To play the Veterans’ Lottery and do your bit to help British veterans the length and breadth of the country, as well as being in with a chance to win a huge £50,000 rollover jackpot every month, click the button below:
