Rugby For Heroes Hoping For More Mental Health Strategies In Coaching Courses

The Rugby For Heroes charity is hoping to incorporate more mental health strategies in its coaching courses.

The charity was set up to help military personnel adapt to civilian life.

The coronavirus pandemic interrupted the charity's work, but workers have used that time to target areas in which mental health care could be expanded.

The charity was already addressing mental health issues by providing a relaxed, familiar, and friendly environment, course attendees had found a safe space.

Miles Greenslade is a trustee for the charity and explained how the charity is building mental health initiatives into its courses.

He said: "We’ve taken a lot of feedback from course attendees and we’ve looked at building a network of specialists and people that come in to help support the charity.

"We’ve got a number of pivotal people involved in that that will continue to push that forward and, hopefully, bring other people into it."

Meanwhile, Shaun Jefferies served with 4 Rifles and completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving the Army in 2014.

He loved his 10 years in the military, particularly the structure and grounding it gave him, but after the loss of his older brother in November 2010, he found himself struggling with mental health. 

Recognising he had a problem, he sought help and found that rugby was the most effective outlet for him.

He said: "It became a brotherhood again. Then it became a responsibility to help or a bit of a leadership thing. It just fulfilled that for me.

"I was then approached 'Shaun, what about you?', and honestly, I could’ve cried because no-one's ever asked me 'are you all right?', he added.

"And all of a sudden I've got a charity going 'Come on. Come on a course, I'll sort you out'."

"It was such a relief to think that I’m worthy of this."