Military veterans
Moving Forces was a programme of physical activity sessions to help military veterans and their families to get and stay active, whilst also improving mental health and reducing social isolation and alcohol abuse.
The original Moving Forces pilot programme ran from September 2018 until December 2021. The programme was funded by Sport England and received further investment from The Endeavour Fund.
The main aim of Moving Forces was to discover the best way to deliver a programme of physical activity sessions to help military veterans and their families to get and stay active, whilst also improving mental health and reducing social isolation and alcohol abuse.
Over 500 military veterans and family members engaged with Moving Forces activities over the life of the programme. These activities included football, kayaking, sailing, climbing, yoga, Tai Chi, fitness classes, rugby, running, walking, table tennis, archery and more. Many of these activities continued independently following the end of the Moving Forces pilot.
Paul Nutter was a member of Moving Forces, and is one of many veterans who benefitted from the programme. Read his story here.
What was learned
Learning what works best when delivering physical activity sessions for the Armed Forces community was at the heart of the programme throughout. A PhD was running alongside with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to evaluate the programme: you can read the full findings here. With the help of MMU and many of our partners, we collated all the detailed learning gained throughout the programme and created the comprehensive ‘Moving Forces Delivery Guide’, which you can download for free by clicking the link to the right.
Further details please contact
- Walking with the Wounded
- [email protected]
- 01263 863 900
Moving Forces Delivery Guide
Moving Forces Connect
After delivering the Moving Forces programme for three years, we wanted to add a layer of mental wellbeing support for the veterans. We were successful in applying for funding from The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to be able to develop this programme and wellbeing guide which aims to support as many veterans as we can through Connect. The programme was co-designed with the veterans on the Moving Forces programme, piloted it early 2021, and fully launched in August 2021.
Find out more and download the free wellbeing guide here
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Moving Forces connected military veterans through City in the Community football sessions held at Manchester City’s training ground, improving their mental and social wellbeing through physical activity.
GreaterSport launch Connect programme to support veterans wellbeing
GreaterSport have today launched the Moving Forces Connect programme, a new programme for veterans to help support building better mental and physical wellbeing into their lives.
Moving Forces funding comes to an end but is leaving a legacy in Greater Manchester
Moving Forces pilot programme has been supporting veterans in Greater Mancheter to get moving for nearly three years.
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