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Supporting Wounded Veterans is a UK charity that helps mentally and physically wounded veterans get back into occupation, training and employment once they leave service.  

In the past year alone, the charity has delivered 3744 hours of mentoring, 975 hours of veteran welfare support and 387 hours of pain programmes and therapy.

Each year around 15,000 personnel leave the Armed Forces in the UK, of which 10% are medically discharged through physical and mental injury.  While many have a smooth transition to civilian life, a small percentage struggle, and this is where SWV can help.  Through its various programmes, it offers individualized support which continues for as long as needed.  

The charity’s vision is that all medically discharged veterans can embrace their full potential in spite of their injuries.  The charity has helped over 500 veterans so far, with the impact of this support also reaching their family, friends and colleagues.  The SWV team of buddies, mentors and volunteers that help throughout the year are often inspired themselves in turn, by the people they are there to support.

90% of veterans who have had support from the charity over the past 12 years are now in meaningful employment or training.

SWV has also brought the first MDMA-assisted therapy trials to the UK, in collaboration with King’s College London and NHS England, to help treat PTSD, and the results so far are really encouraging.  With a new study planned with the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the charity can ONLY do this research and continue our veteran programmes, with the help of all of you via this vital ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Lifeline appeal.

I’m honoured to support and present this Lifeline appeal for Supporting Wounded Veterans.

For many military veterans, serving their country can result in serious mental and physical injuries, and this charity is there to help make life better for every veteran who comes to them for help, after giving so much for their country. 

The charity’s mission is to ensure that no veteran has to tackle alone those challenges that they are often faced with when they re-enter civilian life, especially after injury.  They help each veteran get back into meaningful employment, which can then positively affect every other aspect of their life, as well as their families’ lives.

Please join me in supporting this wonderful charity today, so that they can continue their veteran support and also continue to lead vital research into pain management treatments, that not only affects veterans, but the wider community.

Do join me in supporting them via this vital appeal.

Willie was first helped by the charity in 2022, after serving in the Forces for just short of 30 years. Needing physical and mental support to re-enter the civilian world, he was invited to join the other veterans on the charity’s rehabilitation Ski week, which he did.  

From there, he was able to join the charity’s Pain Management Programme to help with his chronic pain.  He describes this as a ‘life saver’ because the medical team there understood his pain, and helped him to manage it day to day.  He was also offered a mentor who would keep him ‘on the straight and narrow’.  Soon after, he found meaningful employment again.

Willie now attends SWV events as a volunteer and continues to get support from the charity, whilst also offering it to others.

He says that without the charity ‘he would not be here today’.

Before contacting the charity, John was struggling with his PTSD and overall mental health, and was getting in trouble with the police after anger management problems while under the influence of alcohol.

He joined the Ski Rehabilitation week in 2018, learning to ski for the first time, and after the Ski Week he was allocated an SWV Mentor.

With his mentor and SWV’s encouragement, he stopped drinking alcohol, got support through EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) treatments, and he re-trained as a tree surgeon.

In 2022, John was accepted onto the MDMA assisted therapy medical trials.  John said that the experience of the trial was very positive and laid to rest a lot of things that he saw in combat.

It also helped with his Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) in which he used to be hospitalised 5 or 6 times a year. This year, he has not been hospitalised with it at all. 

He is now ‘really looking forward to a new future and new beginnings’.

Trish joined the 2019 SWV Ski Rehabilitation week for veterans, after applying as a last resort.

Not expecting much from it, she soon found that she was surrounded by other veterans who had similar experiences and concerns as her.  She saw a psychologist on the week, who ‘gave her the kick she needed’ to see that she needed support to continue out of service.  Overall, Trish felt supported and genuinely cared for by everyone at SWV, and felt that they wanted to help every veteran there.

After the Ski Week, Trish was allocated an SWV Mentor, who was in contact with her every week.  She was also offered EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) treatment.

All these things combined gave Trish the confidence to join a local theatre group and then eventually attend and complete an HND animal care course.  Eventually, supported by her SWV Mentor, she applied for her next job outside of service.

Trish would like to encourage all veterans needing help, to contact Supporting Wounded Veterans, as they care about each person who goes to them for help.