Inspiring times at Tedworth House
Mark Johns
Yesterday I went to Tedworth House, in Wiltshire, to witness the flagship Help for Heroes centre, which was set up to help our injured Armed Forces personnel both serving and retired.
A question that may be asked at this point could be; what is a sensory equipment provider doing at such a facility?
The aim of the project was to introduce a sensory based area that would facilitate and empower residents and staff in the development of relaxation and coping strategies. Stephen was the project leader, superbly assisted by Rosie, both final year OT students, who have been the driving force behind this project. I was amazed at their determination and success in raising awareness of sensory and educating some of the most “cynical” staff and residents. So much credit has got to go to them…
The project has run for over 3 months producing some interesting results, to surmise, 100% of those that took part in a sensory session rated it Good or Excellent and 100% of those who took part would recommend a sensory session to a friend. Pretty impressive, even if I say so myself…
However, after having toured the breathtaking facility, met some of our serving personnel who have risked everything to serve our country, met the support staff who spend hours doing all they can to make things better and heard the difference Help for Heroes makes, a few things became obvious: Statistics are irrelevant. Commerciality goes out of the window and one is left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards our military personnel.