Testimonials

I was medically discharged from the Royal Marines. At the same time, I experienced a number of life changes and was struggling to envisage what the future would hold. I was lacking both purpose and challenge in my life. I was intrigued when I received an email about Vetrun180. I thought to myself “The concept sounds amazing; I should get involved”.

My first two expeditions were off-road expeditions across Scotland. We travelled through Scotland’s picturesque and often imposing highland estates, wild camping along the way.
The following year I was invited to participate in a snowmobiling expedition. Travelling across the frozen Bothnian sea, witnessing the Aurora Borealis, staying in log cabins and learning about the culture of the area are just a few of the highlights.

After these experiences, I fully bought into the concept of Vetrun180 and I have become a team leader. I believe it’s the simple things that make it work - preparing the food, helping one another, sharing a meal around an open fire and chatting during the evenings in a beautiful remote landscape. This bonding and camaraderie can create an environment that many veterans miss in their lives. They feel they can be more open, discuss things they often don’t, relate to those around them, regain a sense of belonging and a level of comfort they often don’t attain in their day-to-day lives. The benefits of this should never be underestimated.

Being involved with Vetrun180 is something I always look forward to. It has increased my level of self-worth when I’ve felt negative and enabled me to feel useful as an integral part of a team again. I’ve gained a sense of purpose and a renewed belief in the fact that life should be lived. It has been a constant, when things are sadly unpredictable.

The charity, its trustees, my fellow team leaders and beneficiaries have often enabled me to regain my smile when life has been particularly tough.

I found the LANTRA course very useful, and the 1st Aid course is always useful to anyone, and a vital skill to have refreshed periodically. I found the groups of Veterans to be a bunch of guys who truly worked together , mucking in and cracking routines to keep everything on track, it gave us all a sense of purpose and I came away with a nice afterglow , that I had gone out of my comfort zone of Apathy that can often overwhelm me, into a feeling of rekindled self worth. I didn't believe a week driving a 4x4 would give me such a buzz , but its good medicine and the Dits and general camaraderie were priceless. Thank you to all the people behind the scenes that made this trip possible.

Without sounding dramatic, VetRun has saved my life twice!

You really won’t understand what it has done for me. I’ve gone from a crying bumbling mess back in October to me seeing the invincibility I once had.

Looking at the blokes from afar, I saw it in them too!

Before I was invited on the expedition, I had lost all hope of ever getting my head right and found myself just wanting it to end. Now after going through this experience and realising that I’m most definitely not on my own and just talking with lads at night around a fire has given me the mental strength and a new lease of life to want to go ahead with some therapy. Not just for me but my family as well so we can grow stronger.

I was very fortunate to get involved with VetRun180 through one of my friends who had been on a couple of trips prior to my involvement. I was very lucky to go to Scotland in 2021 with the charity in one of their adapted hand controlled Land Rovers which was epic!

We drove from the East coast to the West coast over some of the most remote and tough terrain you could imagine.

A couple months later I was asked if I would like to go to Sweden snowmobiling and try a team leader role. I jumped at the opportunity!! Sweden is one of the best countries I have ever visited. The trip was very challenging for myself but the team helped and supported me when I needed it.

I was with a great bunch of like minded individuals, it was awesome to be back operating in a team environment, amazing to be outdoors in the wilderness, the country was beautiful, the guides were fantastic, food was amazing & the accommodation was perfect (hunting lodges).

Its really nice to be able to participate in these types of ”Adventure Therapy" expeditions and challenge yourself, developing new skills and putting yourself in new situations you never thought you’d be in.
I am very grateful to be a part of the team and now I am helping other veterans with changing their lives for the better and enabling them to also have positive views on life.

Thank you VetRun180 for everything you have and are doing for the UK WIS community.

I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the Portugal phase of the Vetrun 180 4 X 4 expedition from 11th to 22 July 23. I was blown away by the experience and just how much growth and development I personally took away from my time with the Vetrun 180 team, from start to finish. The charity is run by veterans for veterans so from the outset we were all on the same page, and it was a safe and inclusive environment to be in.

Prior to the expedition the team and team leaders met at the LandRover Experience Center in Skipton to practice our offroad driving which included deep water driving and recovery of stranded vehicles using winch and local materials to our best advantage. We then moved on to basic first aid training which gave the team a proper chance to team build and get to know each other.

Ben and several of the team leaders where there throughout and supported all the beneficiaries with any issues or hurdles which arose throughout the 2 days of pre deployment training. In summary the pre deployment training was a great experience getting to know the other team members and refresh old skills prior to the main deployment to Portugal.

The 11-day deployment came and went in the blink of an eye. All anxieties were quickly alleviated by Ben, Sam, Drew, Danny, and Skip Rat aka - Scotty. The driving was challenging at times due to the terrain. Navigation was also tricky due to some of the tracks we were using not being on the map and some on the ground not being on the map, but it all added to the teamwork and partnering of all the team throughout the deployment.

My favourite day was when we hit the deep sand tracks, it was when all 4 vehicles were pushed to their safe limits. I remember driving my vehicle and looking across at the other lads driving their own vehicle and their navigators sat beside them and it was in that moment I saw the whole team come alive and beam and grin and laugh out loud with excitement and determination to keep the vehicles under control and heading in the right direction. I hadn't felt like this for several years and after talking to the lads afterwards, they also felt the same way. It was an amazing day.

Particular thanks go to the UK based back up team, Ross and Ian who were in constant communication's giving advice and support to the team throughout.

Also of note was the calibre of Vehicle team leaders Sam, Scotty, Danny and Drew - They were empathetic and patient throughout our time away. Nothing was too much trouble and they supported and encouraged us to embrace the challenge every single day. They were the reason the team jelled so well.

Finally, my sincere thanks go out to Ben the overall expedition lead, who shouldered the burden of responsibility with skill, tact, and professionalism every step of the way. He gave way above and beyond of himself to ensure each and every one of us had the best experience possible. He worked extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure everything ran with military precision and his pre deployment planning and execution was off the chart accurate.

I had an amazing experience on the Vetrun 180 Portugal expedition. I started withdrawn and pretty closed down. I think that was the same for the other beneficiaries as well however I came away feeling more relaxed and confident to face the challenges of further surgery and difficult engagements with Veterans UK/ War Pension and the AFCS. Again, I feel the rest of the team left invigorated and ready to face the world and whatever it has to throw at them.

I would without doubt recommend Vetrun180 to all injured veterans from all of the armed forces. It is a unique one-of-a-kind charity giving all participant the opportunity of a lifetime and I would say to anyone thinking of reaching out to Ben and the charity to just go for it, you will absolutely love it.

One last person who I would like to thank for making this amazing experience possible is Simon, the charity CEO. Without his input and drive and determination none of the Vetrun 180 expeditions will be possible, so thank you Simon!

My final thoughts are that the Portugal expedition was absolutely amazing. I felt very lucky to share the experience with high calibre individuals who I now call my friends. It was not an easy experience. It is no holiday. But it is not supposed to be, it was challenging in lots of ways. The challenge was what made the rewards all the more satisfying. 

As the charity says in it mission statement: "If It Doesn't Challenge You, It won't Change You!!"

I don't really have any words to accurately describe the week just gone.
It's was full throttle ski-doos, Banter & belonging from day one.
The reality of it’s impact is finally setting in.
I didn’t want to leave the country,
I didn’t want to leave the lads,
And most importantly I didn’t want this dream experience to end.

I found where I belonged.
I found who I am inside,
I found the me I've locked away for years since leaving the mob,
this was purely down to the lads, the Team leaders & Our guide.

This group of misfits became my family in the space of days.

We are all broken shards of the same mirror, but when together, we reflect back a perfect picture of teamwork, brotherhood loyalty, respect, and camaraderie.

This will week never be forgotten, never be replaced, and never be replicated.

But it's time to come home, and with it bring that old smiling me back too,
the me that hid away fractured & frightened after 2009.

I'm alive, I'm still here and I will be me again.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the TL’s, The Benefactors, The Guides & Hosts involved with Vetrun180, they are the real heroes here, changing lives one Exped at a time.

Tom - VetRun180 - Beneficiary

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you!

I had such an amazing time taking part in VetRun180's Sweden trip 2023. I can't thank the team enough for all their hard work organising a trip of a lifetime for injured veterans.

It was so nice to back around people with similar stories and experiences people who instantly become like family and that is something only the military can provide a bond like no other I feel rejuvenated and ready for the next step at what ever life brings.

Danny - VetRun180 - Beneficiary

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you!

The expedition was a great chance to not only vary my physical rehabilitation, but spend some time around other veterans for a while. It was a sort of ‘release valve’ from the mundane day-to-day life of civvy street. It was great to be working as a team again, with lads that I’d only just met days before. And seeing them approach all the problems we encountered with the enthusiasm and positivity that they used to have.

When I first told a work colleague that I was thinking about applying for the VetRun Sweden expedition, I was extremely apprehensive to go as I had just started a new job and was settling into a new routine. However, they were able to convince me to apply and I am so glad that I did.

The VetRun Sweden expedition challenged me to overcome my self doubt. It was through the immense challenges that we faced each day that allowed me to see what I am capable of achieving. At the end of each day, due to the ground we covered and the physical and mental obstacles we all faced, I felt an enormous sense of achievement. When we parked up for the last time for our final group photo, I was filled with mixed emotions as the trip had come to an end.

The Sweden trip has reinvigorated my self worth and improved my confidence through the challenges we faced as a team to reach the finish line. This trip superseded all of my expectations. I urge anyone to give these expeditions a go. It really does work.

I will forever be thankful for the hard work of the Team Leaders Ross and Joe, our guide Thomas and equally the other beneficiaries on the trip. Their endless support, banter and morale filled dits helped me get to the end of this once in a lifetime experience.

Matt - VetRun180 - Beneficiary