Phoenix House to rise up and become a multi-million pound home for recovery

Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion working together to help Britain’s wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women

The first injured personnel are recovering at Phoenix House, Catterick Garrison, the newest of the Army-led Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centres.

Already key facilities such as temporary residential accommodation, classrooms and catering facilities are up and running, which will allow up to 35 recovering Armed Forces personnel to move in during October.

Phoenix House is a Defence Recovery Centre delivered in partnership with Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion and is set in the heart of Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. It will provide comprehensive support to wounded, injured and sick personnel and their families; for life. Phoenix House facilities and services will also be open to veterans on a needs basis.

Help for Heroes have committed to fund and lead the delivery of the Phoenix House capital build project at a cost of £1.3m for the interim recovery facility. The money will allow the creation of new accommodation facilities, training facilities, and a state of the art gymnasium. The charity has pledged a further £10.7m for a purpose-built Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre, which will be delivered by early 2013 and will be run by Help for Heroes.

Phoenix House operating costs, estimated to be £11m over the first 10 years, are to be funded by H4H with a very significant contribution from TRBL, who have committed £8.5m.

Additionally, a Support Hub is being developed. The hub, a collection of welfare agencies and other service charities will provide a ‘one stop shop’ of advice and support for the residents, veterans, and their families, for life.

This centre, within a military environment, will deliver co-ordinated support to recovering personnel from across the Armed Forces. The MOD, as the lead for recovery, has committed military and civilian personnel to co-ordinate, manage and deliver the Defence Recovery Capability, including staff within each of the Personnel Recovery Centres.

Corporal (Cpl) Andrew Garthwaite, 24, from Queens Royal Lancers, who lost his right arm when injured in a Rocket Propelled Grenade attack while in Nad-e Ali, Afghanistan, said:

“I am really looking forward to the opening of the Phoenix House. The centre and the staff will provide great support to wounded, injured and sick service personnel who are on the road to recovery and to those who may be leaving the services.

“With the support of the charities and the Army, this facility should provide the spring-board needed to shape our futures as I and other soldiers will be able to access information I may not have been able to while recovering at home. Phoenix House will be a wonderful addition to Catterick Garrison.”

Cpl Garthwaite is due to be fitted with an arm powered by the brain and will be one of only a few people in the world to be fitted with the so-called bionic arm.

Brigadier Greville Bibby CBE, Commander of 15 (North East) Brigade and York Garrison said:

“I am absolutely delighted that we finally have a facility of this nature. Even though it is an interim measure, it will be of immediate benefit over the next 12 months to those individuals in the North East who require state of the art care to assist their recovery.

“The fantastic thing about this initiative is that everybody involved - the Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion, can now work together through the PRAC to ensure that our personnel have access to the right care, support and resources. I am much looking forward to the opening of the permanent facility this time next year.”

Bryn Parry, CEO and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes, said:

“We’ve seen firsthand what a vital difference the first PRAC, Tedworth House in Tidworth, is already making to the lives of our wounded in the south of the country. We’re delighted that Phoenix House in Catterick, is now available in the north where our wounded and their families can access a comprehensive support network and prepare for life outside of the Services. Help for Heroes are proud to be supporting Phoenix House but it wouldn’t be possible without the support from hundreds of thousands of supportive donors. Phoenix House is firm proof of the support the public feels for its Armed Forces and for that we are thankful.”

Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said:

"The help this Personnel Recovery Centre at Catterick will provide is vitally needed for those who have given so much for our country, and the Legion is delighted to be part of it. As a charity we have been helping Service men and women for 90 years and we have a long and deep connection with the Garrison at Catterick and with Armed Forces personnel and their families in the area. Our support for the Personnel Recovery Programme is a key part of our welfare services and at the very heart of our organisation.

"Wounded, injured and sick Service personnel deserve nothing less than the best and The Royal British Legion will continue to support them, and their families, for the rest of their lives.”

Phoenix House is ideally located as it allows recovering personnel to take advantage of the full range of facilities already available from within the Garrison, including welfare, medical, rehabilitation and education, which are vital in aiding the recovery process.

Notes to Editors:

1. For further information contact Sonia Marshall in the MOD Press Office on 0207 218 5903, Jess Baker in the Help for Heroes Press Office on 01725 514276 or Susan Cottam from The Royal British Legion Press Office 0203 207 2477.

2. For photographs of the event the images will be available onwww.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk

3. Users who do not have an account, the log on details for the website are:

• Username: GuestUser 
• Password: WhiteBoard

4. The Defence Recovery Capability is an MOD initiative being delivered in partnership with Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion alongside other service charities and agencies. It provides comprehensive support to wounded, injured and those who become sick while serving.

5. Recovery is primarily a non-clinical activity, but may involve individuals undergoing rehabilitation, and is designed to restore normal life and a return to duty in the Armed Forces or, for those unable to serve on, life outside the Armed Forces. The Recovery of Service personnel is conducted under the authority of the MOD and the command of the single Services (the Naval Service Recovery Pathway, the Army Recovery Capability and the RAF Personnel Holding Flight). 
6. Personnel Recovery Centres are being created across the country and delivered in partnership by H4H and TRBL. These Centres are being established in major garrisons in order to meet the overall recovery needs of the wounded, injured and sick from across the three services; they will also be open to veterans on a needs basis. The following centres are managed by the Army on behalf of Defence: 
• Edinburgh - Established within the Erskine Edinburgh Home since August 2009. H4H funded c£100k towards capital project costs and the operating costs for the first 17 months. Operating costs were handed from H4H to TRBL in Jan 2011. Total operating costs are estimated to be £5m over the next 10 years. The centre provides residential accommodation for up to 12 personnel and has the capacity for a further 15 day attendees.

• Colchester Garrison – H4H have committed to fund up to £6m for the delivery of the capital build project. Total operating costs are currently estimated to be £8m over the next 10 years. Operating costs will be funded by TRBL, who have committed to fund £550k per annum, with a significant contribution of £200k per annum from their partner H4H. The centre will open in Spring 2012 and will provide residential accommodation for up to 29 personnel and will have the capacity for a further 31 day attendees.

• Catterick Garrison - H4H have committed to fund and lead the delivery of the project at a cost of £10.7m at full operating capability and £1.3m at initial operating capability. Phoenix House operating costs, estimated to be £11m over the first 10 years, are to be funded by H4H with a very significant contribution from TRBL, who have committed £8.5m. The centre will open in early 2013 and will provide residential accommodation for up to 50 personnel and will have the capacity for a further 30 day attendees. In the meantime the interim capability will provide residential accommodation for up to 35 personnel.

• Tidworth Garrison – H4H have committed to fund and lead the delivery of the project at a cost of £20m for the renovation and creation of new accommodation wings and state of the art gymnasium and a wellness centre. The estimated £2m per annum operating costs will be met by H4H with a substantial annual contribution of £350k from their partner TRBL over the agreed initial 10 year period. The centre will open in Autumn 2012 and will provide residential accommodation for up to 50 personnel and will have the capacity for a further 30 day attendees. An interim capability opened in June 2011 and is providing residential accommodation for up to 26 personnel; this will be enhanced to 41 in January 2012.

• Normandy Barracks, Sennelager, Germany (a bespoke Personnel Recovery Facility) – TRBL have committed to fund the delivery of the capital build project at a cost of £600k with the Army Central Fund meeting £224k. Operating costs will be funded by the MOD. The centre will provide residential accommodation for up to 9 personnel.

7. All Defence Recovery Centres will deliver Battle Back activities and courses. Battle Back is an MOD initiative in partnership with TRBL and H4H. Battle Back is an adaptive sport and adventurous training programme for wounded, injured and sick personnel from across the Armed Forces, including mobilised reservists. Battle Back courses and activities are currently run out of the Defence Adaptive Sport and Adventurous Training Centre (Battle Back Lilleshall), the Defence Medical and Rehabilitation Centre (Battle Back Headley Court) and the Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre (South) (Battle Back Tedworth House). Battle Back is funded by both TRBL and H4H. TRBL have committed to fund up to £1.2m for the capital build project of Battle Back Lilleshall and a planned commitment of £25m for its operating costs over the next 10 years. H4H have a planned commitment of £5m to fund Battle Back activities for service personnel over the next 10 years.

8. Other charities, such as ABF: The Soldier’s Charity, will provide £3M funding in support of the Individual Recovery Plans that will be utilised by the serving personnel during their recovery. The charity also administers the Quick Reaction Fund set up by Help for Heroes.