Clwyd West MS and Chair of the Senedd’s Cross Party Group on Armed Forces and Cadets, Darren Millar, has visited a centre in Newport supporting wounded and injured service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and applauded the “exemplary work” they are doing.
Darren travelled to the Battle Back Centre, Lilleshall, Newport, on Monday to find out more about the support they are providing.
The centre was established by the Royal British Legion and 7,137 wounded, injured or sick Serving and ex-Serving personnel have attended there since it officially opened in 2012..
Their aim is to help ensure the best possible recovery for the Armed Forces community, whether it’s returning to duty or successfully transitioning to civilian life.
As well as continuing to support wounded, injured and sick service personnel, more recently they have expanded their service with the introduction of wellbeing courses for veterans. The courses are centred around adaptive sport and adventurous training activities, such as wheelchair basketball, archery, mountain biking, climbing and caving, Battle Back helps build camaraderie as well as the chance to connect through shared experiences.
The programme is designed to help grow confidence and improve motivation as well as the ability to deal with stress. Delivered alongside expert coaching, it also helps to develop positive thinking – focusing on what someone can achieve instead of what they cannot.
The Battle Back Centre also hosts training and courses for selection to the international Invictus Games. The next games will be held in Canada in February 2025.
Speaking after his visit, Darren said:
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit the Battle Back centre and to find out more about the remarkable work that they do.
"There is no doubt that the support and opportunities they provide to serving and ex-serving personnel, is changing lives.
“When many first go to the centre they are at rock bottom, believing that their best days are behind them, but the Centre works closely with them as they embark on a recovery plan and ensures they are supported every step of the way.
“The work the coaches and the rest of the team do at the centre is exemplary and I thank every one of them for all that they are doing to support our wounded and injured service personnel.”
Chris Joynson, Recovery Operations Manager at the Battle Back Centre, who served for over 36 years in the Army and previously ran a Personnel Recovery Unit in the West Midlands, said:
“The genius of the Battle Back Centre goes back to between 2008 and 2010, when we were receiving a lot of casualties from two back-to-back large scale operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It was officially opened in 2012 and since then we’ve been running courses for wounded, injured, and sick (WIS) service men and women from all three services on a pretty constant basis.”
If you’d like to find out more about our Battle Back Centre please get in touch with their team on 01952 815 670 for serving personnel or on 01952 815681 for veterans.
