Our sincere thanks goes out to BAE Systems for their donation of over two thousand pounds earned at last year’s ‘Tough Mudder’ challenge, plus over four hundred free flu vouchers to help our veteran community stay healthy.
“We are completely thrilled with the donation of £2,358 sponsorship money and the donation of the flu vaccine vouchers – which were a really practical contribution to our community’s wellbeing and health during the winter period,” says VOS CEO Ian Millen.
Flu season is now behind us, and we are still grateful for BAE Systems’ help in keeping our charity strong. They’ve got an incredibly strong team of their own!
Tough Mudder is a 10km obstacle course designed to push participants’ physical and mental limits. A team of BAE Systems’ apprentices and graduates took on the challenge, ditching desks for dirt and raising £1,358 along the way. BAE Systems matched their earnings by an additional £1,000, donating a grand total of £2,358 to VOS for helping Armed Forces and Merchant Navy veterans in the local community.
Thank you to each and every member of the Tough Mudder team: Beth O’Donnell, Bethan Rogers, Juliette Barron-Robinson, Jack Head, Zach Lewandowski, Dean Brooks, Dave Middleton, Tabitha Hastie, Jensen Berryman, Sam Ginn, Ethan Terry-Presley, Harvey Ginn, Rowan Parker-Jarvis, Sam Wright, Callum MacBean, James Blackmore, Jordan Craven and Matt Whittenham.
During their training for the event, the team visited us at the Royal Maritime Hotel in Portsmouth to watch Veterans Outreach Support in action. They saw first-hand the services for veterans the charity provides, including monthly drop in sessions and social outings.
John Gunter, Training Evaluation and Auditor at BAE Systems and VOS volunteer said: “The work that VOS does is vital in supporting veterans in our local community which is why BAE Systems is happy to support in whatever way we can.”
Beth O’Donnell, Mechanical Systems Engineering Graduate at BAE Systems and Tough Mudder Team Leader said: “Our Tough Mudder challenge was really tough, but seeing the work Veterans Outreach Support do in our local community makes it all worthwhile.”
Thank you Beth, John, and the team for this generous and hard-won contribution! Your work is appreciated, and your donation is being put to good use in the provision of mental health and welfare support for ex-Forces community members in need.
If you’re a veteran from the UK Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy (from any time of service) or a partner to one, VOS would love for you to join our community. We are here to offer our support: call us on 02392 731 767, visit an upcoming drop-in, or email admin@vosuk.org.
VOS is immensely grateful to funders including the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, as without their support we would not be able to provide our wellbeing activities.
