Defence Secretary Makes Surprise Wheelchair Presentation to Injured Veterans
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer MP, and Steve Baker MP joined The OppO Foundation three custom-built sports wheelchairs to injured veterans.
The presentation at Ambassadeurs Group in Mayfair on Tuesday, July 12, saw Rob Bugden, Chris Anslow and Dave Anderson receive the life-changing equipment, which was bought with a £25,000 donation from the Ambassadeurs Group (AG).
None of the recipients knew about the presentations prior to the event and the surprise announcement was made as the evening unfolded.
Rob is involved in rugby coaching and has been to the veteran games, Chris trains with Team GB’s volleyball squad and Dave competed in Wheelchair Rugby at the Invictus Games.
Ben Wallace said: “It’s one thing to say you support veterans and it’s a completely different thing to actually do something about it.
“The OppO Foundation and Team OppO is all about converting that support into reality for our veterans.
“It’s been brilliant to see in action some of the support that’s been given, and I can’t thank any of you enough for coming here and contributing by being here to support our veterans.
“The privilege of being defence secretary is that I have the responsibility of the before, during and after of our personnel, the men and women of our armed forces.
“If all these foundations and charities do anything it is to advertise that veterans are really valuable to your work, to your society and to your sport and your country and if you value your veterans you value your country.
“Thank you very much to OppO, it’s been fantastic.”
Speaking after the event, Chris Anslow said: “When the Minister for Defence randomly says your name you’re either in trouble or getting an amazing surprise.
“I thought I was coming to help you guys out by promoting recovery through sport, and I end up with a gift that will enable me to get the very most out of my training and therefore performance, and that will only lead to me having the best possible chance of making the GB volleyball team.
“I’ve been struggling with local authorities for so long to try and get funding for a chair so it’s literally like winning the lottery for me, it will be life changing, and also a massive weight off my mind. And that’s all thanks to you guys.”
Kayam Iqbal, founder of The OppO Foundation charity which organised the event and the donations, said: “Each of these wheelchairs costs around £7,000 and they genuinely change the lives of the recipients.
“It was a very emotional evening, especially as those receiving the chairs had no idea about the donation.
“Donating wheelchairs to veterans with a sporting goal is a clear way of making a difference. Working with AG, which is focused on building better futures, to deliver on this goal has helped accelerate the ambitions of Team OppO, the OppO Foundation project which focuses on veterans who are using sports in their recovery.
“Thank you to the Ambassadeurs group for supporting the work of The OppO Foundation.”
Kayam served 12 years in the RAF until he was medically discharged with PTSD after his last tour of Afghanistan.
The donations were made as part of Team OppO – the foundation’s project to support a large number of injured veterans wishing to use sports as a way of recovery.
The five injured veterans will use the wheelchairs in their quest to compete at elite level sports and hopefully the Paralympic Games.
Mr Iqbal, who was medically discharged from the RAF during his last tour of Afghanistan and now works to support his military colleagues while “changing perceptions” in the Muslim and BAME communities, also announced that the charity intends to support every UK Invictus Games competitor with £1,000 grant to spend on sports equipment.
Tracy Damestani, head of Corporate Affairs at AG, said: “We knew we had similar objectives [to The OppO Foundation] and we aligned ourselves.
“We wanted to make a difference and we wanted to be innovative, but we wanted to make sure it made a real difference.”
Recipient Rob Bugden, one of the recipients of a new wheelchair, supplied by RGK Wheelchairs, became tetraplegic after a mid-air collision while on an overseas jumping exercise. CASE STUDY BELOW.
The other recipients have all been injured during the course of their military service.
The Royal Air Force Queen’s Colour Squadron and the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment
performed at the start of the evening, while the London String Quartet later on.
To support the ongoing campaign for specialist sporting equipment to be presented to veterans visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamoppo
For more information about The OppO Foundation visit https://www.theoppofoundation.com/
CASE STUDY – ROB BUGDEN
Sport has been an integral part of my life since I was 4 years old when on a cold Cornish Sunday morning, my mum took me across to Penryn RFC so I can burn off some energy! Sport, like the military is ingrained in my family.
I would go onto play U17 rugby for Cornwall. It was athletics where I had my greatest sporting success. As a distance runner I have represented England at every age group from schoolboy to senior and Great Britain at U23 and Student level.
The military was a natural fit for me, and I joined the RAF as a Physical Training Instructor in 2008 and continued my sporting career winning RAF & Inter Service championship medals and running for England once again as well as the RAF & Combined Services.
I opted to specialise as a Parachute Jumping Instructor (PJI) and graduated from my instructor course in October 2015. On my first (and only) overseas jumping exercise I was involved in a mid-air collision at around 1000 ft. Our canopies collapsed & we fell to the desert floor with nothing above our heads. I fractured my eye socket, broke my neck and severely damaged my spinal cord at C5/6 level and am now tetraplegic.
During my recovery sport has and will continue to play a key role in my life. My friends and I started a rugby team that had raised funds for various charities and accomplished two world records. While not able to play going to support and see my friends was like going back to normal and was vital in making sure my mental health did not suffer.
I have completed two half marathons in my wheelchair and rowed a marathon during lockdown as we raised funds for charity. I have recently come back from the Veteran Games in Israel and involved with coaching of a local rugby team and am writing marathon training programs for several people
Sport is so important to me. It has always been my passion. Since my accident it’s helped in both my physical and mental recovery and continually shows me (and my family and friends) that I am still the same person as I was before my accident.
