Testimonials

I read a newspaper article back in February 2019 about VetRun180. I looked them up online and submitted an interest form.

I was invited to go on an off-roading expedition to Galicia. The trip changed my whole outlook on life in general, I was in a pretty dark place at the time & the time away with like minded people was exactly what I needed.
I am lucky enough to have an amazing family but other than them I didn’t really have any drive or any goals set.

I am now a Team Leader with the charity and have been on vehicle based off-roading trips across Europe and more recently Snowmobiling in Sweden.

I have gained numerous qualifications through VetRun180 in Off-Road driving, Snowmobiling, First Aid and many more.

The concept of “Adventure Therapy” and the motto of “If It Doesn’t Challenge You It Won’t Change You” quite simply just works.

All expeds are led by injured veterans for the benefit of other injured veterans & it is because of this that relationships are forged.

Being placed out of your comfort zone & everyone having to pull in the same direction to be successful provides an unbelievable sense of belonging.

Being back around veterans who all have something in common, in that they are struggling in one way or another, whether that be physically or with their mental health & by working together to achieve what might seem unachievable to some is inspiring.

I owe the charity & the trustees a massive debt of gratitude, without VetRun180 in my life I would be stuck in a rut, plodding on with no sense of purpose, just going from day to day.

If anyone is out there reading this and thinks that they wouldn’t mind doing what we do and getting involved then, DO NOT HESITATE, complete the contact form on the VetRun180.org website and one of us will be in touch.

It might sound a bit of a cliché however, it could just change your whole perception on things, like it has mine and so many other lads and lasses across the UK.

An exceptionally well-planned expedition that really took veterans out of their comfort zones, taking them back to their roots by making them work together as a team. Thoroughly recommended for those needing to reconnect with themselves and start to carve out their future.

Having left the Marines in the last two years, rehabilitation prior to that, social anxiety, physical inuries coupled with PTSD, I felt very nervous for about two weeks building up to the trip day, when I met the lads it was like being back in the Marines again; the banter was non stop a brilliant team of lads from various in the military and we all bonded straight away.
Matt is a relaxed bloke and that has helped a lot. We have all been through similar things in life. I of course was the best looking in the Team haha, in Summary there has not been a venture like this and I experienced a superb week of laughs, challenges and every person was someone I would stand side by side in a battle zone again.

Sweden has been such an emotional week for me, being back with the lads that understand me and how and why I feel the way I do.

I'm lucky to be here now and needed this get away with VetRun180. This trip away has reset my thoughts and perspective on life, l've made new friends which I look forward to doing more with in the future, it's given me a new purpose in life have set new goals and have new plans to get on with.

I would like to thank the team in Sweden for taking us around the northern part of their beautiful country. I want to thank the vetrun180 team for allowing me to experience this journey and the lads on the ground know how much this has meant and done for me.

Benny - VetRun180 - Beneficiary

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

I was made aware of Vetrun while undergoing rehabilitation for my injury/illness by one of the rehab team. After speaking to the Vetrun team I got confirmed I’d be on the next trip.

I was lucky to spend 2 days conducting my off-road driving/first aid course at the Land Rover off-road course followed by some immense off road driving through some of the best countryside in the UK (Whitby to Lake District)
I didn’t realise how much I needed the break, sense of adventure and the laugh with the lads and lasses on the trip.

I returned to Rehabilitation with a more positive and upbeat frame of mind.

A big thanks to the Vetrun team members and all the people that make this happen that work behind the scenes. A great charity that certainly has a big impact on the people it aims to help.

Bobby - VetRun180 - Beneficiary

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 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 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!

Throughout the week being in a vehicle for numerous hours and doubling up with people you get to chat about various scenarios and other people’s experiences are similar to yours at times, and lets you share your stories too.
On a whole the trip was very enjoyable, and at times some of the driving was demanding, down to weather conditions being wet, but not too demanding. I personally had a great week away and met some new friends, and since I’ve been back home it’s made me more focused and look at life in a more positive way, with the help of people I’ve met and the experience during the week at Vetrun180.

I found myself waiting in the airport for a bunch of lads who I had never met or spoken to before. Almost instantly, when the team all arrived, it just seemed like everyone fell back into the banter and family like team spirit that is so missing in society that only serving or ex serving members will ever truly understand.

The trip was, by far, something that really was needed for myself personally, having the time away with like-minded individuals who can share their own experiences in an amazing setting was a huge, and much needed, reset for me
I was finding things difficult to adjust in civilian life and I found myself getting distant from things that were important.

The trip really helped myself understand that many others are going through the same as me. By being placed in this team brought back a sense of belonging and togetherness and adventure.
Personally, I ticked off many things that were on my bucket list on the trip.

The Arctic Circle, Snowmobiling through the Swedish Lapland, seeing the Northern Lights to name but a few.

I experienced some of the best memories of my life, with some of the most amazing people that I have had the pleasure of spending time with.
Sharing this trip with the highest calibre of people was simply phenomenal.

l owe a lot to the VetRun180 family, you have supported me and I will forever be grateful for what you stand for and what you help others like myself achieve.
Thank you to all the team leaders as you are not only inspirational but a real credit to the charity.