The Army Benevolent Fund is delighted to award a £14,500 grant to Brooke House Health and Wellbeing Centre towards its Hooves for Healing project for former soldiers.
Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of serving and former soldiers is a priority area for our charity. Brooke House in Co Fermanagh, N Ireland, provides a wide variety of therapeutic and mental health-related services to retired police officers and Armed Forces personnel, families, and carers across the province.
Recently, the charity introduced a 10-week equine assisted learning course where beneficiaries can groom and lead a horse in an enclosed space to generate a calm, reflective experience and develop a special bond. Our grant will partly fund the project and is expected to help around 25 ex-Army beneficiaries.
Joan Clements, CEO, Brooke House, said:
“Brooke House is delighted to receive this funding to run further equine assisted learning courses. We aim to help more veterans improve their mental health in a positive and therapeutic way, by using the beauty and calmness that horses bring through connection, thereby learning to control their emotions. Our initial pilot course was very well received, everyone loved attending and spending time with the facilitators and horses as the group developed.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer, Army Benevolent Fund, added:
“Helping soldiers to improve their health and wellbeing goes to the heart of our charity’s mission. Developing a connection with animals and nature is sometimes the first step towards recovery and we fund several charities involved in this area of mental health therapy. We are pleased to award a grant towards Brooke House’s work this year.”
Read more about Brooke House here https://brookehouse.co.uk/site/our-services/equine-assisted-learning/
