• Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion working together to help Britain’s wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.
Vigilance can reveal authoritatively that the first injured personnel are recovering at a place we ‘d like to call Armed Forces Balm of Gilead officially known and called Phoenix House, Catterick Garrison, the newest of the Army-led Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centres.
According to a source at the MoD already key facilities such as temporary residential accommodation, classrooms and catering facilities are up and running, which will allow up to 35 recovering Armed Forces personnel to move in during October.
Phoenix House is a Defence Recovery Centre delivered in partnership with Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion and is set in the heart of Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. It will provide comprehensive support to wounded, injured and sick personnel and their families; for life. Phoenix House facilities and services will also be open to veterans on a needs basis.
Vigilance learnt that Help for Heroes have committed to fund and lead the delivery of the Phoenix House capital build project at a cost of £1.3m for the interim recovery facility. The money will allow the creation of new accommodation facilities, training facilities, and a state of the art gymnasium. The charity has pledged a further £10.7m for a purpose-built Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre, which will be delivered by early 2013 and will be run by Help for Heroes.
Phoenix House operating costs, estimated to be £11m over the first 10 years, are to be funded by H4H with a very significant contribution from TRBL, who have committed £8.5m.
Additionally, a Support Hub is being developed. The hub, a collection of welfare agencies and other service charities will provide a ‘one stop shop’ of advice and support for the residents, veterans, and their families, for life.
This centre, within a military environment, will deliver co-ordinated support to recovering personnel from across the Armed Forces. The MOD, as the lead for recovery, has committed military and civilian personnel to co-ordinate, manage and deliver the Defence Recovery Capability, including staff within each of the Personnel Recovery Centres.
Corporal (Cpl) Andrew Garthwaite, 24, from Queens Royal Lancers, who lost his right arm when injured in a Rocket Propelled Grenade attack while in Nad-e Ali, Afghanistan, said:
“I am really looking forward to the opening of the Phoenix House. The centre and the staff will provide great support to wounded, injured and sick service personnel who are on the road to recovery and to those who may be leaving the services.”
Cpl Garthwaite added: “With the support of the charities and the Army, this facility should provide the spring-board needed to shape our futures as I and other soldiers will be able to access information I may not have been able to while recovering at home. Phoenix House will be a wonderful addition to Catterick Garrison.”
Cpl Garthwaite is due to be fitted with an arm powered by the brain and will be one of only a few people in the world to be fitted with the so-called bionic arm.
Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, Commander of 15 (North East) Brigade and York Garrison said: “I am absolutely delighted that we finally have a facility of this nature. Even though it is an interim measure, it will be of immediate benefit over the next 12 months to those individuals in the North East who require state of the art care to assist their recovery.”
While expressing his boundless enthusiasm, Brigadier Bibby noted: “The fantastic thing about this initiative is that everybody involved - the Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion, can now work together through the PRAC to ensure that our personnel have access to the right care, support and resources. I am much looking forward to the opening of the permanent facility this time next year.”
Whilst Bryn Parry, CEO and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes enthused: “We’ve seen firsthand what a vital difference the first PRAC, Tedworth House in Tidworth, is already making to the lives of our wounded in the south of the country. We’re delighted that Phoenix House in Catterick, is now available in the north where our wounded and their families can access a comprehensive support network and prepare for life outside of the Services. Help for Heroes are proud to be supporting Phoenix House but it wouldn’t be possible without the support from hundreds of thousands of supportive donors. Phoenix House is firm proof of the support the public feels for its Armed Forces and for that we are thankful.”
Also, Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion said: "The help this Personnel Recovery Centre at Catterick will provide is vitally needed for those who have given so much for our country, and the Legion is delighted to be part of it. As a charity we have been helping Service men and women for 90 years and we have a long and deep connection with the Garrison at Catterick and with Armed Forces personnel and their families in the area. Our support for the Personnel Recovery Programme is a key part of our welfare services and at the very heart of our organisation.”
Adding: "Wounded, injured and sick Service personnel deserve nothing less than the best and The Royal British Legion will continue to support them, and their families, for the rest of their lives.”
Phoenix House is ideally located as it allows recovering personnel to take advantage of the full range of facilities already available from within the Garrison, including welfare, medical, rehabilitation and education, which are vital in aiding the recovery process.