The Volunteer - NWRFCA - Northwest Reserve Forces & Cadets ...

ADVERTORIALREMOUNT
RETURNING FROM A WAR ZONE THROWS UP HUGE CHALLENGES FOR TA
MEMBERS WHO GO BACK TO THE DAY JOB. NOW A NEW CHARITY, REMOUNT,
IS OFFERING A HANDRAIL TO HELP THEM WITH THAT READJUSTMENT TO CIVILIAN LIFE.
WHAT THE REMOUNT
STUDENTS SAID:
Remount offers
soldiers a handrail
to life in Civvy Street
Dodging IEDs in Helmand
Province one week, and
fixing the plumbing in
suburban Britain the next.
That’s the reality for many TA
soldiers who are deployed to
Afghanistan and return to the
UK, their lives as plumbers,
mechanics and office workers
transformed forever.
It was for such men and women
that former Royal Tank Regiment
and TA officer Neville Barton
founded Remount – a charity
which provides courses to help
forces personnel re-adjust to Civvy
Street.
“These TA soldiers and reserves
come back from a war zone and
try to pick up where they left off.
For many the transformation
is too fast and the change in
themselves too dramatic,” said
Neville.
“They suffer terribly because
nothing is ever the same again.
Their Civvy colleagues can’t
understand what they’ve been
through, their partners expect
them to be the same as before,
and they have no one with whom
to share their experiences and
self-doubt.”
Remount provides free fourday
courses at Brathay Hall at
the head of Lake Windermere
in Cumbria for forces personnel
of both sexes and all ranks,
including the TA.
When students arrive, they
often have little idea of what’s
in store. They have usually been
encouraged to attend by their
Unit Welfare Officers or NCOs.
What they get is a mix of
kayaking, climbing and walking,
linked to time in the classroom,
getting to grips with the
psychological and cultural side
of leaving the forces. Subjects
include discovering latent talent
and abilities, managing stress and
depression, and finding a purpose
in life.
Taking part are experienced
Remount trainers and staff at
the Brathay Trust who provide
a mix of activity and classroom
learning to help develop life skills,
confidence and motivation.
More than 200 people have
taken part in the Remount
programme so far. The aim is to
increase those numbers 10-fold,
and to raise £1 million in 2012
to secure the charity’s future.
Restoring hope and selfesteem
is central to the
Remount philosophy.
“It’s a wake-up call,” said
Remount Course Director
Richard Wilson, 55, who was
a Major in the Army Physical
Training Corps until February
2010 and is now based at the
Infantry Training Centre at
Catterick.
“The future is not what it
was for any of the soldiers on
the course. The Army provides
a very successful handrail: a
structure, reasonable pay, three
square meals a day. Then soldiers
lose everything including their
rank and status. Many find
themselves floundering. Remount
provides a replacement handrail,
a first step on the ladder of
independence.”
www.remount.net
Remount is a registered charity, no 1126396.
GARY BEAKE:
24, joined the Remount course 2 months
after leaving the Royal Marines.
“I left the Marines and everything
caved in. I had no training going on, I
was homeless and had no money.
“I came on the Remount course
because I wanted to get out of my
situation. I got some really good advice
about achieving goals – that’s what I
was all about in the Marines.”
LAURENCE ‘RONNIE’ CORBERT:
41, master coach at the 2nd Infantry
Training Battalion at Catterick. Leaves
the Army in November 2011 after more
than 20 years in the Scots Guards and is
joining Remount as a military liaison
executive and counsellor.
“Remount gave me a lot of time
to reflect on where I was and where
I’m heading. It gave me extra tools to
overcome stresses in my life.”
BRADLEY CROP:
22, 1st Battalion The Rifles.
“I was sent to Iraq five days after my
18th birthday. Then Afghanistan. We
got back from Iraq and I hit the drink
straight away. I was going off the rails,
losing my rag.
“Remount offered ways of beating
negatives with positives. That was
helpful.“
CONTACTING
REMOUNT:
If you’d like to know more,
or wish to make a donation,
please go to the Remount
website: www.remount.net
or email neville.barton@
btinternet.com
Remount will also be at
the Cholmondeley Pageant
of Power in Cheshire, July
15-17, with the 4th Battalion
The Mercians (V), a three-day
extravaganza featuring racing
cars, helicopters, aerobatics,
military combat displays,
powerboats and fireworks.
www.nwrfca.org.uk THE VOLUNTEER 59