The Invictus Games Foundation Supports Climbing Courses To Help Female Members of our Community
The Invictus Games Foundation has supported a new and one of a kind sporting initiative to help the female members of our community with their recovery, as we supported the Climb 2 Recovery organisation deliver their first ever 'All-Female Ascension Course'.
Last weekend in the Peak District, England, Climb 2 Recovery, an organisation that supports members of the wounded, injured or sick service personnel and veteran community through climbing and mountaineering programmes, held it's first ever all female course as part of the Invictus Games Foundation's Beyond the Games programme.
A group of 10 female members of the We Are Invictus Community came together to learn about climbing, abseiling, bouldering, rigging, and outdoor adventuring.
"We're looking to broaden the scope of recovery opportunities, particularly for female members of the WIS and veteran community. We want to help an under represented demographic and provide a safe space for them to take on a new challenge and feel a sense of adventure," said Joe Winch, CEO and Chief Instructor at Climb 2 Recovery.
Joe is a lifelong climber and mountaineer, having summited Everest and is a former Royal Marine who, after being medically discharged with Complex PTSD in 2021, has become a prominent advocate for mental health, contributing to national awareness efforts, advising the Defence Select Committee, and helping reform the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Joe said they wanted to facilitate a safe forum for the female participants to "tell their stories, as it can still be quite intimidating for female members of the WIS community to share their stories around men," and allow them to learn new climbing skills.
This event was the first of three all-female courses that the Invictus Games Foundation has funded and it has been well received by the first group of participants.
"Being part of a community through Climb to Recovery has been crucial for my mental health. There is an unspoken understanding between us—a shared language of survival and resilience. I’ve formed bonds with others who know what it’s like to feel broken and still choose to show up. The mountains and the Rock have become a meeting place between pain and progress, between who I was and who I’m becoming," said one participant.
About the ‘Beyond the Games’ Programme
The Invictus Games Foundation ‘Beyond the Games’ programme exists to identify and support WIS seeking to use sport/and or adventurous challenge as part of their recovery journey and continued rehabilitation.
Members of the international WIS community can access this programme through the free We Are Invictus platform, open to any serving personnel or veteran who has been injured or fallen ill during or as a consequence of their service.
The We Are Invictus platform is a closed platform for members of the international WIS community that provides access to everything the IGF offers Beyond the Games.
You do not have to be a previous Invictus Games competitor to join or be from a member country of the Invictus Community of Nations, the platform is open to all WIS worldwide, you can sign up here.