The team from the British Army Assessment Centre at Pirbright recently visited Veterans In Action for a day that was as valuable as it was down to earth. This visit was all about getting stuck in, working together, and learning from one another, with practical results and strong relationships built throughout the day.
On Friday, 26 September, everyone at Veterans In Action was looking forward to meeting the team from Pirbright. The British Army Assessment Centre crew turned up ready to get their hands dirty and join in with whatever was needed. VIA’s aim was clear: to show what can be achieved when charities and the Army pull together to help those who have served.
The approach was practical and respectful. From the start, it was obvious that the visitors were there to truly understand what goes on at VIA and to be part of it for the day.
The day started with a real test of teamwork; everyone got to work as part of the Veterans in Wilderness Project. The job was to clear a big area of dead wood in the woodland, making it safer and more open for future projects and visits.
With everyone pitching in, the job was done faster than expected. The cleared area will be put to good use, helping keep the paths safe and tidy. It was a proper group effort, showing how much can be achieved when people work side by side towards a simple but important goal.
After the graft, the group gathered under VIA’s big outdoor parachute, which acts as a classroom and meeting space. Here, people sat together and listened to a talk from the VIA team. They heard about the charity’s different projects and its steady approach to supporting veterans.
There was plenty of time for chat and real conversations. Veterans shared their own stories about how VIA has made a difference, and the visiting team were keen to learn, ask questions and join in. VIA made it clear that it wants to keep these sorts of links going into the future, with both sides gaining something valuable from working together.
The visitors had a good look around the VIA Centre next, getting a feel for all the activities happening there. From the workshops and support spaces to outdoor areas and classrooms, every corner had a story and a reason behind it.
The Assessment team were honest about their interest, asking how they could come back or bring others for more volunteering days. This was a real sign that the visit made a strong impression and could be the start of a longer-term link between VIA and Pirbright.
One of the standout moments was when each person made a donation and as a team they donated £470, there and then. It was a gesture that meant a lot, not just for what it helps fund, but for the support and goodwill behind it.
More than the money, though, what really mattered was the positive attitude and hard work the visitors brought with them. It gave a boost to everyone at VIA and confirmed that what they do is noticed and appreciated.
A big bonus of the day was swapping knowledge. VIA shared their experience with supporting veterans and running activities, while they explained more about what goes on at the Assessment Centre in Pirbright. People learnt about things like fitness tests, teamwork challenges and interviews, as well as how new recruits take their first steps into Army life.
Bringing these two groups together opened eyes and helped everyone understand a bit more about what it means to serve and to move on from service.
The biggest takeaway from the visit was just how much you can gain from working together. Whether it was clearing woodland, listening to each other’s stories, or simply sharing a cup of tea under the parachute, the message was clear: community and teamwork go a long way.
Everyone went away with new perspectives and fresh motivation. The day sparked ideas for future projects and reminded everyone in VIA of the good that can come from inviting others in, learning together, and getting on with the job at hand.
There is a genuine hope that this first visit will lead to many more. Plans are already being discussed for joint activities, more volunteering days, and ways to keep up the support for veterans over the long term.
VIA believes that keeping these links strong and practical is the best way to make a lasting difference. When like-minded people work together with goodwill and honesty, everyone benefits.
The visit from the British Army Assessment Centre was more than just a day out of the ordinary. It was a reminder that real change happens through teamwork, honest effort and open doors. For Veterans In Action, the future looks brighter thanks to days like this, full of old-fashioned hard work, proper conversation and kindness that lasts.
I needed focus I needed something to fill my time, well maybe not fill my time but something to focus on like a target, a needed to get back my drive.
I started to help VIA ‘Veterans In Action’ and found something that I could do, use the old skills that I learnt in the army and more since I left which I did not register I had.
I had been missing that motivation to do something that I wanted to do and gain that level of self-gratification and achievement.
Everybody has a skill set, but it’s the motivation to use it we can lose, VIA have various projects on the go all the time, hopefully I have found my niche to help them and myself to gain personal gratification by being a member of a team again and a job well done.
After discussions I realised that it’s this which advances my mental well-being and my ongoing fight against depression and the feeling of worthlessness.
I have woken up, helping hand in hand with fellow soldiers suffering from labelled disorders finding strength from weakness, realising what helps them generally does helps me, the recognition has been an awakening.”
Ian ‘Chalky’ White former 17th/21st Lancers and B Sqn 22 SAS
Veterans In Action have been filming our expeditions for many years for our YouTube Channel, Veterans Expeditions Overland, and through this experience of not only running the expeditions but also capturing footage that enables veterans who have taken part in a place of reference to recapture how they felt by taking part.
The Veterans In Focus project enables veterans to learn new skills and record not only the expeditions we run but also the day-to-day work on all projects connecting them all together so everyone feels involved in all aspects of the work we do.
VIA take a long-term approach to helping veterans who suffer to enable them to grow within a project working alongside their peers. All this can be achieved within this project which can be ongoing and would allow veterans to learn new skills or to pass on skills learned during their time in the services
Some of the outcomes of the project are a sense of purpose, regaining confidence and working in an environment alongside other veterans where they can instantly feel relaxed, chilled-out, secure, and safe.
Veterans can work at their own pace, stop thinking negatively, concentrate, learn new skills, be part of building something, and most importantly where problems are understood this will positively impact mood and stress levels.
For those involved in the project, they can also get involved on an expedition HERE
I became involved with VIA in 2010 after my life took a turn for the worse and was invited along to do some fundraising with them. This helped me no end and in time my life got back on track. I completed a Union Flag Walk with them from Cape Wrath to Land’s End which again helped as walking and talking with other veterans with similar stories was a great help in understanding how I was feeling. I gained control of my life again.
In 2019, I took part in an overland expedition travelling through the Spanish Pyrenees and whilst away my life took a turn for the worse again due to family problems back in the UK. On my return I had to start again and rebuild and focus on the future and with the help of Veterans In Action I got back on track and took control.
I now own and run my own courier business.
Mark Colman former Royal Engineers
To date, we have travelled 25,000 miles travelling through 30 different countries and some of them several times both on overland expeditions for humanitarian aid through the pandemic and more recently supplying medical humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
It is important to note that to take part in one of our overland expeditions we insist that veterans get involved in the BUILD IT part of the project. The reason for this is part of the Post Traumatic Growth process which is our method for helping veterans so that veterans can grow within a team of their peers, learning new skills and relearning old skill sets that may have been forgotten after service.
Leading up to an expedition involves expedition training which will include off-road driving, navigation, camp setups, camp cooking and daily maintenance, something most veterans will understand from their time in the services.
It would be unfair for any individual to turn up on the day of an expedition who hadn’t previously been involved as everyone else would have been working together over a long period of time so due to the very nature of the mental health problems of those we take out on expedition turning up on day 1 for any individual could become very difficult to find where they fit in no matter how welcoming everyone was.
It is the involvement long-term on building the vehicles that enable veterans to grow that gets them to a place where they fully enjoy all aspects of the expedition experience starting from the minute that an overland expedition sets off.