Newton Aycliffe-based charity, Sporting Force, has been shortlisted as a Finalist in the 2022 Soldiering On Awards in the Working Together category. This award honours a group of people, team or organisation, that has demonstrated an enduring commitment to a collaborative approach, engaging with each other and other external organisations to support the sector within the wider military community.
The three Finalists are:
• Routes of Remembrance (The Veterans
Charity, HM Armed Forces and the
UK Transport Sector)
• Sporting Force
• With You for the Armed Forces
Community
Sporting Force aims to promote veterans’ recovery and transition into civilian life through sport.
Sports activities provide an environment where physical skills and emotional resilience are developed by establishing social networks and freeing people from the stress and anxiety of everyday life. They help veterans to redefine or recapture their identity as a civilian, rather than as a soldier. Sporting Force offers sport, exercise, camaraderie and being part of a team again – things that veterans miss.
Since April 2021, Sporting Force has supported 800 beneficiaries. The charity has changed operationally to focus on delivering a wide range of sports and outdoor activities in the North East. This has created strong community ties, and Sporting Force now has a presence within local stadiums, including the Combat Café in Leeds and the Dandelion and Warrior Projects at Durham County Cricket club.
Over 200 people working in the veteran community have completed fully funded Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) 2 day courses with Sporting Force, with another 400 places available over the next two years.
Last year, Sporting Force moved into a Veterans’ Community Hub which offers a wider range of services via six veteran support organisations. The charity provides clear pathways to support, achieved by working in partnership with organisations including Veterans Woodcraft, Fighting with Pride, Care after Combat and Combat Stress – to name just a few. This ethos of strong collaboration saw Sporting Force being awarded the V3P NE and Yorkshire.
Jacqui Nicholson, CEO of Sporting Force, cited the impact the organisation makes in the military community: “Sporting Force delivers a wide programme of holistic services for the whole family, ensuring that service users are safe and in a caring, understanding, empathetic environment at all times.”
The overall winner of the Working Together Soldiering On Award will be announced at a Gala Dinner in October.
The Working Together category of the Soldiering On Awards 2022 is generously sponsored by Forces in Mind Trust.