Thank you for making a difference
It is a privilege for us to share just how much your support has meant to people in our Armed Forces community this year.
Read stories from those whose lives have been transformed – people like Naomi Hall and Kevin Blackburn, who have faced real hardship and come through stronger, thanks to supporters like you. Their words say it better than we ever could. But it is less about what RBL has done and more about what you have made possible. Your support has helped veterans, their families, and those still serving. From all of us at RBL and on behalf of the many beneficiaries who have been helped this year, thank you.
We hope this update shows you the real impact you have had and just how deeply we appreciate you. Because of you, those in need have been able to find comfort and hope.
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Your support makes recovery possible
RBL’s Battle Back Centre is where wounded, injured and sick Armed Forces personnel, including those facing mental health challenges, can find new purpose through adaptive sport, adventurous activities and wellbeing.
Since 2016, the Battle Back Centre’s recovery services have been involved with the Invictus Games – supporting Team UK. Athletes train, compete, and grow, not just physically, but emotionally. And those who participate in the Games can achieve their own gold-medal moment, which for some could simply mean reaching the starting line.
Earlier this year, the Invictus Games were held in Canada and introduced winter sports for the very first time – offering new ways to rebuild confidence and reconnect with nature.
Team selection centred on personal recovery, with a four-phase journey: Discover, Engage, Progress and Propel. Even those not selected received tailored support, ensuring no one was left behind.
Team UK Manager Louise Assioun highlighted the life-changing impact of the Games, noting the importance of both individual and team sports in building resilience. “For the competitors who have come through and are on the team, we’ve seen massive changes in confidence and their anxiety is reduced.”
From training camps to post-Games care, your support means RBL can be there long after the medals are awarded – helping veterans rediscover purpose, connection and hope.
“Had RBL not helped me, I think things would have gone badly wrong.”
I wish I could thank you in person because you’ll never know just how much you’ve changed my life for the better by supporting RBL.
I joined the RAF at 17 and gave 16 years of my life to Service. But Afghanistan changed me. When a colleague was killed, leaving behind a newborn daughter, I broke. As a mother myself, the guilt was unbearable. One day, I began harming myself and I just couldn’t stop. I never returned to work.
RBL stepped in when I had nowhere else to turn. They gave me space to heal at the Battle Back Centre and helped me take my daughter on our first holiday together.
Just as life was improving, a terrible car accident left me in a coma. I had to relearn how to walk and talk which was so physically and mentally draining.
But luckily, RBL had given me a life worth fighting for. And, because of them, I had the strength to fight hard and get where I am today.
Through every trauma I’ve faced – military, civilian, physical or emotional – RBL has stood by me.
“Thanks to people like you, I’ve rebuilt my life, piece by piece.” - Naomi Hall
Former Senior Aircraft woman in the RAF
“Without the support of RBL, I would still be struggling.”
I’m so grateful that you support RBL, because, honestly, without people like you, I wouldn’t have got the help I needed. And for that, I can’t thank you enough.
I joined the Army in 1983 and was on active Service until 2005 before a further stint of eight years as a civilian. As a metalsmith during the Cold War, I worked on all sorts of military vehicles: tanks, Bedfords, Land Rovers – you name it, I maintained it!
Then, after recovering from metal poisoning, I was deployed to Kuwait during the Second Gulf War, but I had to be evacuated due to a serious lung infection.
Having served for nearly 30 years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), coming home alone felt like stepping into a foreign world. I was completely lost. I’d been institutionalised because the military did everything for me. I really struggled to adjust.
RBL became my anchor. Honestly, without the Royal British Legion, I don’t know where I’d be. They sent me to the Battle Back Centre – their recovery through adaptive sports programme – where I was welcomed with open arms.
Through activities like wheelchair basketball, archery and climbing, I found my purpose and got my confidence back. The care, the understanding and the community it gives you is incredible. It truly changed my life.
“Your support means the world to me.” Kevin Blackburn
Army Veteran
“They gave their all for us – the least I can do is give a little back.”
I’ve been around the Armed Forces all my life, through family, friends, and my own experiences. I’ve lived through the Second World War and joined the celebrations on VE Day. RBL always stood strong for our country. And I believe it’s only right that we stand by those lads and lasses in return.
So, when a letter comes through the post, I set aside a little from what I’ve managed to save and send it along. I’ve done it for years, and I’ll keep on doing it as long as I’m able. Every little helps, and it’s my way of saying thank you to all those who’ve given so much.
And this year being the anniversary of VE Day, I’m reminded why giving back really matters.
“I’ll always give what I can to RBL.” Audrey Salter
RBL supporter
Eighty years on, remembering together
This year, RBL marked 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE Day) and Victory in Japan Day (VJ Day) with two moving celebrations at the National Memorial Arboretum.
On 8th May, veterans from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force gathered for a tea party followed by a poignant Remembrance service led by Baroness Floella Benjamin to mark VE Day. Across the UK, communities celebrated with street parties and special events, and illuminated landmarks lit up the nation.
The Royal Family joined veterans in a moving military procession, followed by a star-studded concert and a heartfelt address from HM King Charles III – echoing his grandfather’s speech in 1945. It was a day to remember, reflect and give thanks.
