Improving Veteran wellbeing, one step at a time. 

Boots on the Ground is a Social Enterprise with the duel aim to support Veterans on their journey towards improved mental health, wellbeing and community connection by creating new pathways driven through active engagement as well as creating income into the Homes for Veterans.

Boots on the Ground support Veterans who have faced extreme challenges since leaving service. The scheme aims towards building self-esteem, resilience and skills by providing increased purpose in a friendly supportive atmosphere.

Veterans are supported to engage in outdoor-based activities, which promote positive mental health and can be widely involved in a variety of the above activities as part of this programme. By working with organisations and groups in the local community we focus on a range of activity-based and personal development workshops, that can be tailored towards small Veteran groups, across North & South Wales and South West England.

We have a variety of activities currently being delivered from working with other providers such as National Trust, Keep Wales Tidy, and Actif Woods, BotG is delivering outdoor activities of wellbeing walks, conservation bushcraft and woodland skills whilst making products out of natural resources such as bird boxes, and cleaning beaches in North Wales.

In South Wales and England, we are developing ideas of woodworking and woodcraft, fishing and developing to incorporate the theme of upcycling or recycling, as well as Brews and Banter for the Veterans and plenty of outdoor walks including our most recent walk up Pen y Fan.

“Having a purpose and being part of a team has helped me through some tough times. Planting 50 Oak trees and knowing those could be there for hundreds of years was awesome. Keeping active, getting out and doing things done has boosted me no end. I look forward to eating something from the garden after all the hard work.”

Gavin, Service User

Alabaré’s Homes for Veterans provides supported housing and additional support so they can overcome the crisis they have faced to build successful, independent lives once more.

“This is a safe space, where they can gather no matter what they have gone through or suffered or still suffering, where they can come exactly as who they are and talk, work with their hands, go for walks or just have a cuppa tea and egg sandwich. There is something so special in creating that space where there is a healing, it’s not something that happens overnight when people have carried their experiences for years.”

Rev Sarah, volunteer

“it gives me an opportunity to get out and about otherwise we’d be stuck doing nothing. I never had any problems being deployed, but since leaving it has an effect on all of us, trouble sleeping, I think it affects all of us. I have coping mechanisms, and Boots helps get me out”

Service user recently as he walked around Pen y Fan and Cribbin

To get involved or for more information please contact either Lee, Mel or Karen details below:

England: Karen Langley k.langley@alabare.co.uk tel: 07971 513115

North Wales: Lee Duggan l.duggan@alabare.co.uk tel: 07870 480055

South Wales: Mel Watts m.watts@alabare.co.uk tel: 07929 186144