The Battle Bac T
by Lt Col Ian Thomas Helping wounded, injured and sick servicemen an
he Battle Back Centre was set up in 2011 to assist in the recovery of serving wounded, injured and long-term sick
(WIS) from all three Services. Whilst these courses are mandatory for Army WIS, attendance from RN/RAF is also strongly encouraged and it’s to that end that we share the Centre’s services here in Envoy. The vast majority of those who visit the Battle Back Centre, will leave with a more positive mental approach to their recovery. One example is SAC Richard Thompson, and his experiences are shared later on in this article.
The Centre is situated in the fantastic grounds of the National Sports Centre, Lilleshall, seven miles from Telford in Shropshire. Students are accommodated in high quality single rooms and have access to outstanding on-site facilities that are also used by a range of sporting organisations – including GB gymnastics, which trains its elite gymnasts at Lilleshall.
The Centre provides adaptive sport and adventurous training for serving WIS with the aim of promoting self-confidence and improving motivation to aid recovery. Coaching expertise is provided by Carnegie Great Outdoors (part of Leeds Beckett
MAC dates: 7-11 Sep 15
21-25 Sep 15 5-9 Oct 15
19-20 Oct 15 2-6 Nov 15 9-13 Nov 15
groups, each group under the direction of a CGO course director and a team of coaches. Students will undertake a range of activities as well as taking part in group and individual personal development coaching sessions. The ethos of the course is ‘challenge by choice’ so whilst students are encouraged to fully take part, there is no compulsion to do so. Service personnel that have been on sick absence for longer than 56 days are encouraged to attend at the earliest opportunity provided they are independently mobile and self-medicating.
University) and the specialist coaches provide activities that are challenging, but safe and enjoyable, allowing students to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t. They are shown that no matter what injury or illness that they have, they can do things that they did not think were possible. Camaraderie is one of the most beneficial parts of the courses and students are able to talk about what’s happened to them, but surrounded by others in similar situations. Technical advisors are on hand to provide adaptive equipment and support so that students can take part in all the activities.
The Multi Activity Course (MAC) has been set up to help all WIS; 24 courses run each year and students arrive Monday morning and leave at lunchtime on the Friday. Each course has a maximum of 24 students working in two
30 Nov-4 Dec 15 11-15 Jan 16 25-29 Jan 16
1-5 Feb 16 22-26 Feb 16 29 Feb-4 Mar 16
The Centre also runs one-week skills courses so that WIS can develop their ability and interest in an activity. Each skills week has a pair of courses and students work in separate groups in a similar way to the MAC. Ideally WIS should attend the MAC before a skills course but course dates may prevent this. Expert tuition allows students to work towards nationally recognised qualifications.
In the period Mar-Oct 16 it is intended to run Golf, Football coaching, Climbing (indoor and outdoor), Archery, Mountain Biking and Road Cycling.
Course dates: 12-16 Oct 15 Indoor Climbing and Archery
23-27 Nov 15 Wheelchair Basketball and Mountain Biking
8-12 Feb 16 Wheelchair Basketball and Indoor Climbing
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Envoy Autumn 2015
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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