Four athletes from Help for Heroes’ Plymouth Recovery Centre have brought home the silverware in the 2018 Help for Heroes Summer Games. The Devon based team were the overall winners of the games and were presented with the coveted Phoenix Trophy.
A week of sporting challenges brought together wounded, injured and sick veterans and Service personnel from all around the country.
It’s the fifth time that staff at Help for Heroes’ Phoenix House in Catterick, have organised the activities which sees teams from each of the Charity’s four Recovery Centres in Plymouth, Tedworth, Colchester and Catterick competing for the Summer Games Phoenix Trophy.
The week kicked off with a tough gym challenge and ended with several of the team members getting a soaking during a raft-building exercise at Ellerton Lake. This year, events in-between included boccia, sitting volleyball, archery, wheelchair basketball, swimming and a quiz.
Each is designed so that everyone can participate on an even basis, regardless of injury or ability.
Plymouth won the gym challenge, sitting volleyball and the Krypton Factor and came third on raft-building.
“We look at what someone CAN do, not what they can’t and find ways to enable them to do it,”
said Mark Airey, physical development coach – Strength and Conditioning at Phoenix House.
“Publicity around the Invictus and Warrior Games does a great job at demonstrating how sport helps in a person’s recovery but it doesn’t have to be at that high level. The Phoenix Summer Games provides an opportunity for the people we support to try out a wide variety of sports at grass roots level where the emphasis is on having fun and being part of a team with likeminded individuals.
“At the end of the week, they will all leave with a sense of achievement, be it through trying something new, returning to an activity that they used to do before injury or simply having plucked up the courage to walk through our doors and join in!”
Plymouth’s leading seaman specialist Craig Taylor took part and says it was a great experience:
“It’s a good atmosphere. The first day, everyone was a bit apprehensive but, by the evening, we all sat together and as the days have gone one, we have mixed really well. We can be ourselves, with others who understand. There’s always a bit of a competitive edge when you pitch Navy versus Army but I am really enjoying the camaraderie more than anything.”
Next up will be the Winter Games which will be held at Tedworth House.
Help for Heroes offers support throughout the year from its Recovery Centre in Plymouth and community locations across the South West.
Get support or give support visit Helpforheroes.org.uk.
