RMC Annual Review 2020-21 digital (1) - Flipbook - Page 52
Never above you, never below you, always by your side
Why the serving Corps supports the Charity
Why the serving
Corps supports
the Charity
“As a young
Royal Marine the
Charity was not
on my radar... my
perception was of
collection buckets
and not much else
— how wrong
I was!”
WO1 Luke Glyn
The Charity is important
to me because of the role
it plays in supporting me
and my family throughout
my service life and
beyond, support I have
experienced first-hand.
The Charity is an invaluable part of the
Corps family that, with its Associations,
offers lifelong camaraderie that
for many has been life changing.
As a young Royal Marine, such an
organisation was not on my radar and
why would it be, when my perception
at the time was of collection buckets
and not much else, how wrong I was!
Today the messaging is clear and far
reaching, thanks to the hard work
and dedication of the Charity Staff,
Associations, family and friends.
26 years into my career I am now the
Warrant Officer responsible for the 111
personnel in the RM Physical Training
Branch. I also work with the Inspector
of Physical Training Royal Marines
(IPTRM) by assisting him in shaping
policy for physical training, sport and
adventurous training throughout the
Corps. Even here, the Charity plays
a part. Recently, the RM needed to
create a team for Project Endurance,
an exciting initiative working to reduce
injury rates amongst Royal Marines.
Thanks to the financial assistance from
the Charity, the Human Performance
Operations Cell is now functioning,
making a positive impact for the
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Corps, that all serving and future
Royal Marines will benefit from.
From a personal perspective, I sadly
lost my brother Neil in 2018. Neil
had cancer and died at the early age
of 49, leaving two young children
for whom he was the primary carer.
I had young children of my own to
look after, but I needed to step up to
assist Neil’s kids too. Financial help
from the Charity meant that I could
look after my niece and nephew and
help them build positive memories
without putting an increased strain on
my family’s resources. This was crucial
in helping my niece and nephew as
they transitioned to life without their
Dad. I am genuinely grateful that
the Charity was there for my family
and me when we really needed it.
Membership of this camaraderie
network is not just for people currently
serving. Anyone who has served is
welcome. This extends to the families
of current and former Royal Marines,
illustrated when a former PTI, Bob
Leefmans, was delighted to be
assisted by the Charity to attend an
RMA PT Branch reunion at CTCRM.
Without this assistance, Bob would
not have been able to participate. Bob
is part-paralysed from a Skydiving
accident during his service and this
essential support enabled him to travel
from the USA together with family
members who accompanied him.
The traffic across the Atlantic is not
only one way. A few years ago, the
Charity financially assisted 250 serving
Royal Marines to travel to the USA and
compete in Virginia Gauntlet II. This
is a sporting event where the Royal
Marines challenge the United States
Marine Corps in a wide variety of sports
for the prize of winning the prestigious
Virginia Gauntlet Trophy. The RM
team proudly brought the trophy
home to the UK on the last occasion.
Some of the people who wanted to
compete for the Corps would have
found such a trip challenging to
finance without help. Support from
the Charity meant it could be open
to everyone, an opportunity that will
be available again in the future.
pathway: But Ben was not content
with simply using his professional
skills to help Cai, he wanted to make a
more significant contribution. Ben set
himself the huge physical challenge
of completing a 60-mile 24-hour
ultra-marathon and chose to do it
wearing a 10kg weighted vest. This
effort raised funds that will pay for
Cai’s specialist wheelchair — and
best of all, Cai is going to use that
wheelchair to complete the London
half Marathon later this year. The help
Cai is getting and that I received, will
in part show you why the serving
members of the RM PT Branch were
the first in the Corps to achieve a 100%
membership of the RMA PT Branch
within the Charity, an achievement
of which we are all proud and a
testament to our serving PTIs.
Given the active two-way street
between the PT Branch I proudly
serve and the Charity that offers such
excellent support, you can imagine
that my team are also enthusiastic
as fundraisers themselves. There are
too many stories to tell them all, but
I wanted to give a few of examples.
One of the people I manage, Cpl Cai
Vickers, was seriously injured last year
while preparing to demonstrate a
complex inverted rope descent where
he sustained permanent and lifechanging injuries. Military medicine
and rehabilitation have been excellent
and provided great support to Cai.
However, this support won’t provide
everything that Cai needs, and this is
where fundraising events can make
such a difference. Cpl Ben McClean
is the RM PTI for Hasler Company
at Plymouth. His specific role is in
rehabilitation where Ben is, and has
been, involved in the Cai’s recovery
Celebrating the 75th Year of the RMA
Top image: Corporal Ben McLean
& Corporal Cai Vickers
Right image: Physical training staff at CTCRM
Left image: The British detachment in Diego Garcia
www.rma-trmc.org
Cpl Connor Gilby is the RM PTI assigned
to the unit on the Indian Ocean island
of Diego Garcia. Connor created a
Team challenge ‘Tip 2 Tip’ running
and cycling the length of this unique
island 7.5 times over 7.5 weeks and
covered 273 miles to raise funds for
the 75th Anniversary of the RMA. If
the name is familiar, yes, this is the son
of former Corps Regimental Sergeant
Major Phil Gilby MBE, the membership
Director (West) for the Charity. Back
home the PT Staff at CTCRM are
conducting a fund-raising challenge
that sees them completing 75 laps
of the Bottom Field assault course
every week carrying 21lbs of kit and a
rifle. This challenge is over 25 weeks
finishing on the 28th October (the
Corps Birthday), a great date to finish!
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