Lewis Hatchett visits Help for Heroes and Tidworth House

Sussex's Lewis Hatchett talks about his visit to the Help for Heroes charity and their main recovery centre, Tidworth House.

I have always had an interest in working with physically disabled people. This interest grew when I had the chance to meet some of the injured servicemen at a Pro40 Game in Hove, who had been helped by the charity Help for Heroes. They explained to me how the facilities that the charity had set up helped them progress to where they are now. Following this meeting, I wanted to go and see some of the rehabilitation centres that help injured soldiers cope with the challenges they face after injury. I was interested to see how they overcome the new obstacles they face after being injured, and how they learn to deal with them, both physically and mentally.
 
I got the opportunity to visit the Help for Heroes offices at Tidworth House in Wiltshire with the help of Nick Denning, the PCA Personal Development Manager. During our visit, we met Mark Elliot, Chief of Staff, and one of the original founders of the charity. He explained how the charity initially aimed to raise £10,000 and how it has grown to raise millions of pounds to help soldiers.

I then went on to visit Tidworth House, the main rehabilitation centre, where we got to see how injured servicemen live, eat and train, as well as socialise and host events. It was amazing to see a place where everyone involved is dedicated to helping injured soldiers get back to a more normal way of life.

I drew a lot of inspiration from these trips, experiencing the recovery and rehabilitation process of many soldiers, as well the dedication and support of everyone working in the centre. I am now looking to organise a trip to a Ministry of Defence centre in Surrey, called Headley Court. Nick has also organised for me to spend a few days with the England Physical Disability Cricket Team over the winter.

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