We are delighted to announce that WeBackYou (webackyou.com) have decided to sponsor Team Talking2Minds.
Launched in 2010, the online entrepreneurial match maker who puts money and talent together, says it’s all about big dreams and small amounts of cash. Think of us as a microfinance version of Simon Cowell. Only with better hair. Here’s how it works; you need £10,000 to finish your movie, so you come to us. We put you in touch with our network of backers and you offer them rewards for their cash. You choose what to give them, they decide if they like the offer. Get it right and you get your money; the backers get to help the next Steven Spielberg.
England Rugby World Cup Winner Will Greenwood says "It is a huge privilege to be associated with a team taking on such an epic adventure. WeBackYou is about inspiring people into action and what better way to inspire than by taking on such an iconic journey. We look forward to following your progress every step of the way."
Team Talking2Minds greatly appreciate WebackYou’s support and their sponsorship and look forward to working with them as we continue our race preparations!
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Sunday 1 August 2010
Independent on Sunday - Combat Stress Article
The long-term impact of experiences in battle is not fully known and could leave veterans vulnerable
By Matt Chorley
Sunday, 1 August 2010
British troops in action: their psychological stress is described as a 'timebomb'
Troops leaving the Armed Forces may be put through psychological profiling in a new effort to identify those at risk of developing mental disorders linked to their experience on the frontline. The Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox, who has described the impact of mental illness among service personnel as a "time bomb", believes developments in science means more could be done to stop the most vulnerable "falling through the safety net". Some 180,000 troops are thought to have been deployed to the two conflicts since 2001. The long-term impact of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan on those who return to civilian life is not known; in some cases, symptoms from past trauma may not emerge until many years later.
However, Combat Stress, the ex-services mental welfare society, reports a 72 per cent rise in referrals in the past five years. On average, veterans are waiting 14 years between discharge and seeking the charity's help. Comparisons to US forces show Britain has not yet experienced the sharp rise in serious mental conditions and suicide rates seen in America.
A study by King's College London earlier this year found 4 per cent of British armed forces suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but 20 per cent had symptoms of common mental disorders. Research of 10,000 soldiers showed 13 per cent were misusing alcohol, but those who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan were 22 per cent more likely to abuse alcohol than those who had not.
But Dr Fox is damning of the service offered to those suffering from mental health problems and is concerned about the unknown impact of the recent conflicts on the state of veterans' health, especially those of reserve forces. "There is an excess vulnerability there which we will pay a very high price for, and if we are not careful and we do not try to identify people who might be at risk, we will be as a society potentially sitting on a mental health time bomb," he warned.
Plans are being put in place by the Ministry of Defence to set up a clinical trial of post-deployment screening, which would examine how effectively those who have been adversely affected can be identified and provided with help as early as possible. "In this country, frankly, the quality of care we give to people with mental illness we simply would not accept for any other sort of illness that afflicts one in four of the population," Dr Fox said. He believes it is a "measure of how civilised we are as a society" how the most vulnerable, including those with mental illness, are treated. Too often it is a "Cinderella service" in healthcare because "they are the very people who will least be able to complain or least want to make their voices heard".
Conservative MP Dr Andrew Murrison, a former medical officer in the Royal Navy, who served in Iraq in 2003, is conducting an independent study into the health of serving personnel and veterans, with a particular focus on mental health. Ministers have received his initial findings, and full publication is expected shortly.
Ministers are particularly concerned that there is not enough co-operative working between the MoD, the NHS and social services. It could mean dropping what Dr Fox regards as "some of the less than justifiable medicals at the point of discharge from the Armed Forces", to examine advances in science and move towards "psychological profiling to see who might be most vulnerable and to proactively follow them up rather than waiting to see if they fall through the safety net".
He told the Commons defence select committee he is particularly concerned about troops from the reserve forces adjusting to an abrupt return to non-military life. "If you are coming home with a group of comrades who have been through the same experience, at least you have people to talk to who have been through the same thing. If you are in the reserves, you can be in Helmand on Friday and you can be the milkman in Dorset the next Friday, on your own with no one to talk to, and potentially an uninterested population that cannot understand."
The MoD provides community psychiatric nurses in Afghanistan to provide care and treatment on the frontline. There are also two UK-based teams of psychiatrists and mental health nurses who are available to deploy to Afghanistan at short notice. Across the UK there are 15 military departments of community mental health across the UK.
Labour MP John Woodcock, a member of the defence select committee, said spending cuts in the public sector should not hamper work for veterans. "We do absolutely need to do more. Our duty to the troops is fundamental. The resources have to be found."
By Matt Chorley
Sunday, 1 August 2010
British troops in action: their psychological stress is described as a 'timebomb'
Troops leaving the Armed Forces may be put through psychological profiling in a new effort to identify those at risk of developing mental disorders linked to their experience on the frontline. The Secretary of State for Defence, Liam Fox, who has described the impact of mental illness among service personnel as a "time bomb", believes developments in science means more could be done to stop the most vulnerable "falling through the safety net". Some 180,000 troops are thought to have been deployed to the two conflicts since 2001. The long-term impact of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan on those who return to civilian life is not known; in some cases, symptoms from past trauma may not emerge until many years later.
However, Combat Stress, the ex-services mental welfare society, reports a 72 per cent rise in referrals in the past five years. On average, veterans are waiting 14 years between discharge and seeking the charity's help. Comparisons to US forces show Britain has not yet experienced the sharp rise in serious mental conditions and suicide rates seen in America.
A study by King's College London earlier this year found 4 per cent of British armed forces suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but 20 per cent had symptoms of common mental disorders. Research of 10,000 soldiers showed 13 per cent were misusing alcohol, but those who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan were 22 per cent more likely to abuse alcohol than those who had not.
But Dr Fox is damning of the service offered to those suffering from mental health problems and is concerned about the unknown impact of the recent conflicts on the state of veterans' health, especially those of reserve forces. "There is an excess vulnerability there which we will pay a very high price for, and if we are not careful and we do not try to identify people who might be at risk, we will be as a society potentially sitting on a mental health time bomb," he warned.
Plans are being put in place by the Ministry of Defence to set up a clinical trial of post-deployment screening, which would examine how effectively those who have been adversely affected can be identified and provided with help as early as possible. "In this country, frankly, the quality of care we give to people with mental illness we simply would not accept for any other sort of illness that afflicts one in four of the population," Dr Fox said. He believes it is a "measure of how civilised we are as a society" how the most vulnerable, including those with mental illness, are treated. Too often it is a "Cinderella service" in healthcare because "they are the very people who will least be able to complain or least want to make their voices heard".
Conservative MP Dr Andrew Murrison, a former medical officer in the Royal Navy, who served in Iraq in 2003, is conducting an independent study into the health of serving personnel and veterans, with a particular focus on mental health. Ministers have received his initial findings, and full publication is expected shortly.
Ministers are particularly concerned that there is not enough co-operative working between the MoD, the NHS and social services. It could mean dropping what Dr Fox regards as "some of the less than justifiable medicals at the point of discharge from the Armed Forces", to examine advances in science and move towards "psychological profiling to see who might be most vulnerable and to proactively follow them up rather than waiting to see if they fall through the safety net".
He told the Commons defence select committee he is particularly concerned about troops from the reserve forces adjusting to an abrupt return to non-military life. "If you are coming home with a group of comrades who have been through the same experience, at least you have people to talk to who have been through the same thing. If you are in the reserves, you can be in Helmand on Friday and you can be the milkman in Dorset the next Friday, on your own with no one to talk to, and potentially an uninterested population that cannot understand."
The MoD provides community psychiatric nurses in Afghanistan to provide care and treatment on the frontline. There are also two UK-based teams of psychiatrists and mental health nurses who are available to deploy to Afghanistan at short notice. Across the UK there are 15 military departments of community mental health across the UK.
Labour MP John Woodcock, a member of the defence select committee, said spending cuts in the public sector should not hamper work for veterans. "We do absolutely need to do more. Our duty to the troops is fundamental. The resources have to be found."
Tuesday 6 July 2010
Brooks Macdonald Asset Management sponsor Team Talking2Minds
We are delighted to announce that Brooks Macdonald Asset Management have decided to sponsor Team Talking2Minds.
Chris Macdonald, Brooks Macdonald’s CEO, said “we are proud to sponsor the team who are entering a fantastic event and for a particularly worthy cause. It is a very tough challenge but I have no doubt of the team’s qualities to perform in such harsh terrain. We are delighted to be associated with the individuals and the event”.
Brooks Macdonald Asset Management Ltd is the specialist investment subsidiary of Brooks Macdonald Group plc, the specialist wealth management group that has been listed on AIM since March 2005. With offices in London, Hampshire, Manchester, Tunbridge Wells and Edinburgh they currently manage in excess of £2.05 billion on behalf of private, pension and charity clients. From their start in 1991 they were pioneers of fee-only fund management and remain one of the few to pass on institutional dealing terms to private clients. They were one of the first firms to embrace open architecture and give private clients full exposure to a range of leading investment managers and strategies.
Brooks Macdonald provide a range of investment services and investment funds, each of which is based around their sophisticated, modern investment management system. Their focus is on providing high risk-adjusted returns for all types of portfolio. In order to achieve these they seek diversification through investment in all asset classes (ranging from cash, fixed interest, equities & property to the alternative classes of commodities, private equity and hedge funds) and high returns through selection of the best managers and investment vehicles (including unit trusts, investment trusts, direct, structured and specialist investment companies).
They are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority to provide a range of investment services in the UK and Europe.
Registered in England No: 3417519. Company Registered Office: 111 Park Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 7JL. Website: www.bm-am.co.uk
Team Talking2Minds are thankful to Brooks Macdonald for their sponsorship and look forward to working with them as they continue race preparations!
Chris Macdonald, Brooks Macdonald’s CEO, said “we are proud to sponsor the team who are entering a fantastic event and for a particularly worthy cause. It is a very tough challenge but I have no doubt of the team’s qualities to perform in such harsh terrain. We are delighted to be associated with the individuals and the event”.
Brooks Macdonald Asset Management Ltd is the specialist investment subsidiary of Brooks Macdonald Group plc, the specialist wealth management group that has been listed on AIM since March 2005. With offices in London, Hampshire, Manchester, Tunbridge Wells and Edinburgh they currently manage in excess of £2.05 billion on behalf of private, pension and charity clients. From their start in 1991 they were pioneers of fee-only fund management and remain one of the few to pass on institutional dealing terms to private clients. They were one of the first firms to embrace open architecture and give private clients full exposure to a range of leading investment managers and strategies.
Brooks Macdonald provide a range of investment services and investment funds, each of which is based around their sophisticated, modern investment management system. Their focus is on providing high risk-adjusted returns for all types of portfolio. In order to achieve these they seek diversification through investment in all asset classes (ranging from cash, fixed interest, equities & property to the alternative classes of commodities, private equity and hedge funds) and high returns through selection of the best managers and investment vehicles (including unit trusts, investment trusts, direct, structured and specialist investment companies).
They are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority to provide a range of investment services in the UK and Europe.
Registered in England No: 3417519. Company Registered Office: 111 Park Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 7JL. Website: www.bm-am.co.uk
Team Talking2Minds are thankful to Brooks Macdonald for their sponsorship and look forward to working with them as they continue race preparations!
Thursday 3 June 2010
Sunday 23 May 2010
New Team Member: Matt Wadsworth
Matt Wadsworth: I was 17 years old when I joined the Royal Air Force, 17 years later my career was cut short. During my time as Aircrew operating on the Chinook Helicopter, I saw military operational tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Suffering for years with “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” symptoms, it was after a tour in Afghanistan, I was diagnosed with the condition, this led to several different treatments, but none worked for me. During one of my lowest points in-between stays at mental institutions, Talking2minds were brought to my attention.
The treatment I received on the change programme stopped my nightmares and PTSD, my life was returned and I was able to start rebuilding. I haven’t looked back; now a qualified Master Practitioner I have the skills to help others suffering from their traumas and I volunteer with Talking2minds.
Fitness and sport have been a daily part of life, having competed at several at differing levels. I like to push my boundaries and test myself; the ultimate test will be the South Pole Race. The race will enable the team to explore new limits, not only in fitness but in our mental capabilities in an unforgiving environment.
Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters; with your help YOU are helping us raise the awareness and funds for Talking2minds enabling veterans to combat PTSD.
Suffering for years with “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” symptoms, it was after a tour in Afghanistan, I was diagnosed with the condition, this led to several different treatments, but none worked for me. During one of my lowest points in-between stays at mental institutions, Talking2minds were brought to my attention.
The treatment I received on the change programme stopped my nightmares and PTSD, my life was returned and I was able to start rebuilding. I haven’t looked back; now a qualified Master Practitioner I have the skills to help others suffering from their traumas and I volunteer with Talking2minds.
Fitness and sport have been a daily part of life, having competed at several at differing levels. I like to push my boundaries and test myself; the ultimate test will be the South Pole Race. The race will enable the team to explore new limits, not only in fitness but in our mental capabilities in an unforgiving environment.
Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters; with your help YOU are helping us raise the awareness and funds for Talking2minds enabling veterans to combat PTSD.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Thursday 13 May 2010
Welcome!
We are pleased to announce that the website is now up and running! We will use this section to keep you abreast of all the news surrounding Team Talking2Minds and the 2012 South Pole Race. Thank you, Team T2M
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
