Last weekend the Royal Naval Association (RNA) offered a weekend of walking, swimming and connection, to Royal Navy and Royal Marine serving personnel and veterans.
This event concentrated on boosting mental health and wellbeing through camaraderie and connection and are generously funded by the Royal Navy and Royal Marine’s Charity.
The participants, none of whom knew each other previously, met up in the Lake District and spent the first evening getting to know each other.
RNA Thriving Together Lead, Sarah Bewley said: “In typical Naval style, it took about ten minutes to establish that we all knew each other through different ships, oppos or ex-wives.”
The group went on the next day to climb fells, explore caves and enjoy wild swimming. Everyone there has been through some major health challenges, and they group worked as a team and showed real comradeship whenever someone needed a bit of extra help or encouragement.
The weekend proved to be a real boost for the participant’s mental health too.
Coral, said: “I haven’t really spoken to anyone about my service for a very long time. It was a while ago and most of the people I know now don’t really understand what I’m talking about if I start talking about Naval stuff. It is a real joy to reminisce and be with people who understand who and what I used to be.”
Coral works full time and is a carer for her husband, so being able to get away for a weekend has really helped her mental health.
“It can get quite lonely being a carer, I honestly can’t say how wonderful this weekend has been for me.”
The 2024 Thriving Together programme saw weekend activities as diverse as chainsaw handling, bushcraft, coasteering and hiking. Every event is designed to enable participants to connect with new and old friends and build bridges between those who are serving and ex-serving. The idea is to encourage a network of peer support throughout all stages of your Naval story – from Recruit to ex-serving.
Each event has a Thriving Together Group Leader who is trained in Mental Health First Aid and who specialises in creating supportive environments and encouraging long-term connection.
The programme will continue in 2025, kicking off with Surfing in Devon and cookery in Portsmouth. If you are interested, or would like to refer someone to the programme, keep an eye on the Royal Naval Association’s social media accounts for details of coming events (@rnassoc)
