WIREDGOV

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has committed to working ever closer with charity partners, during a visit to a state of the art recovery centre for veterans and service personnel.

Mr Williamson visited Tedworth House, a joint recovery centre run by the MOD, Help for Heroes, and the Royal British Legion.

The £24million residential rehabilitation centre offers comprehensive rehabilitation programmes and life skills courses to help injured veterans, service personnel and their families, lead active, independent and fulfilling lives.

The Defence Secretary was shown round the facility and spent time looking in the adaptive gym kitted out with specialist equipment. He also visited the Hope on the Horizon Garden that focuses on relaxation and offers a space for patients to take some time out.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

We are committed to making sure that our troops, veterans and their families get a fair deal and the best possible support on offer for their sacrifice and service to protecting our country.

Military charities such as Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion play a vital role and we work closely with them to deliver the care and opportunities our service personnel deserve.

Tedworth House is an excellent example of the Defence Recovery Capability initiative in action.

Tedworth House, based just outside the garrison town of Tidworth, is part of the Defence Recovery Capability initiative.

The Defence Recovery Capability is a MOD and Third Sector Partnership, providing the framework within which all injured service personnel are provided with the right support to enable a return to duty or effective transition to civilian life.

The MOD has a deep and longstanding partnership Help for Heroes. As well as the Tedworth House facility, the MOD, Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion partner on delivering the UK’s Delegation to the Invictus Games, for which the MOD provides £350,000 in funding.

UK Team Trials for the Invictus Games were recently held at the University of Bath, with a record number of hopefuls trying out to see if they can make the team for Sydney.

With a renewed focus on mental health the Defence Secretary last month launched the 24/7 Military Mental Health Helpline alongside £200million of dedicated funding. This is delivered through Combat Stress who are the leading specialists in mental health services.