Fit Forces participants to take part in Remembrance Day proceedings at Doncaster Rovers' fixture

As today’s game against Notts County, marks this year’s Remembrance Day dedicated fixture, participants from the Foundation’s award winning Fit Forces project will be getting involved once again in proceedings.

Those in attendance will be in and around the ground in the lead up to the game, handing out leaflets and holding a bucket collection to raise vital funds to support the continuation of the project, before walking out alongside Doncaster Rovers’ first team players for kick off.

It’s a date in the diary that those who attend Fit Forces, look towards each year, getting the chance to honour and remember those who served within the forces.

Fit Forces participants have been involved in Rovers’ Remembrance Day fixture since the start of the project back in 2022, with various activities taking place each year, something that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do without the project. 

Ben Howe, Health & Wellbeing Officer, spoke of today’s opportunity for participants. “It’s fantastic that the club invite our Fit Forces participants to get involved with proceedings, with walking out alongside players, having the opportunity to lay a wreath alongside club personnel and amplify the project prior to the game. 

“It means a lot to the participants, to be recognised as veterans themselves but also the opportunity to remember their fellow friends and other veterans, those who gave their today for our tomorrow.”

Since taking over the project, Ben has seen the impact the weekly sessions have on participants: “It’s been a privilege to work with such a fantastic group of men and women, and see first hand what a positive impact bringing a group of veterans together, can have on both physical and mental health.

“I have met some fantastic individuals through Fit Forces and it’s great to see the camaraderie of a group of veterans who have served across many different regiments, coming together in a judgement free zone, able to express themselves and build valuable friendships.”

Prior to the game, the Fit Forces session will still be taking place in the Foundation Fitness gym and continues to be a weekly session aimed at ex-military personnel, since it first launched in June 2022.

Neil Patton, who has attended the sessions for the past two years, has really benefitted from the weekly sessions, which have played a massive part in his mental health. “One day, I picked up the phone because I needed help, I was really suffering with my mental health and a friend of mine told me to come along to the Fit Forces session that had been set up. 

“It’s hard to put into words really, how much Fit Forces means to me. I lost my son 15 months ago, and I know Fit Forces didn’t start as a support group, but it’s turned into that and much more. 

“It means the world, meeting up on a Saturday morning, doing events throughout the year, it’s fetched a group of veterans back together. We support each other every single day. We’re constantly in touch through WhatsApp groups, social media and it’s really fantastic. 

“I can’t see the future without Fit Forces, I look forward to Saturday mornings and I look forward to the banter and just knowing someone is there at the other end of the phone if I need any help, people who I can class as a friend. I’ve not looked back since I started attending and to be honest, I don’t know what I’d be today, without Fit Forces.” 

Fiona Wheeldon spoke of how much she values her armed forces family and how coming together on a Saturday morning has helped her life: “I think, like everyone else who comes out of the forces, when you do actually leave, it’s like you’ve lost part of your family. A lot of civilians don’t get the humour, the camaraderie and the spirit of the armed forces. So when we do get together, it’s a support network. We get the banter, the support from each other and it fulfils a big gap which we have in our lives. 

“I went through a lot of health problems myself and I did suffer quite a lot with mental health, so to be able to talk to people and get feedback from them and the moral support, we’re just a big family.

“The group, it’s unique, I don’t know anywhere else in the country that has this programme. There are breakfast clubs elsewhere, but to have the option to do the physical fitness, I’d much rather do this. I’ve lost weight since I’ve come, I’ve got fitter and I think that all has a big impact on your mental health aswell. 

“Since attending Fit Forces, my husband has told me I’ve got my spark back. It’s just a great group to come to. It’s family.”

Sessions are held in Foundation Fitness from 9am till 11am every Saturday and give participants the chance to be with likeminded people with similar experiences to themselves.

The sessions aim to provide a safe space for them to feel at ease to access exercise and socialise with group members, taking part in circuits, quizzes, organised activities and NAAFI breaks.

Want more information on the Fit Forces project? E-mail fitrovers@clubdoncasterfoundation.co.uk to find out more. Alternatively, attend the sessions on a Saturday morning at Foundation Fitness, from 9am-11am.