- Sister of soldier left disabled in Iraqi bomb blast raises money for charity caring for him.
- Stephen Vause, from New Malden, suffered brain injuries in the 2007 explosion.
- Surrey pub assistant manager Sian Cheesman is taking part in the Tough Mudder to “give something back” to The Royal Star & Garter Homes.
The sister of a war veteran badly injured in Iraq is raising money for The Royal Star & Garter Homes.
Sian Cheesman, from New Malden, is leading the five-strong Team Vause in the notorious Tough Mudder obstacle course and hopes to raise £450 for the Charity, which has been caring for her brother Stephen Vause at its Surbiton Home since 2015.
Stephen, from New Malden, was just 19 and on his first tour of Iraq, serving with the 4th Battalion The Rifles, when he suffered brain injuries in a mortar explosion near Basra in 2007 which left him severely disabled.
Stephen requires 24-hour care from expert staff at The Royal Star & Garter Homes. He regularly receives physiotherapy at the Home, and staff support him in getting to hydrotherapy locally. Stephen’s disability means he uses a wheelchair and has limited speech, using a tablet to communicate.
Sian, 22, is assistant manager at the Well House Inn in Chipstead, Surrey. She said: “It was a struggle to find somewhere appropriate for Stephen. The Royal Star & Garter Homes is local, which is a bonus for us, and they work so hard with him. To have somewhere you can trust that really looks after him is amazing. The Charity has given him a home, and that’s the main thing. They have said he can stay there as long as he wants, which is a weight off our shoulders.
“The Royal Star & Garter Homes has done a lot for Stephen, it’s time to give something back.”
The five-mile Tough Mudder course features 13 obstacles and is designed to test teamwork and toughness.
In a show of appreciation to members of Team Vause, Stephen, 31, has been taking on his own set of 13 challenges. These include lifting weights, sit-ups and hand-eye coordination tasks.
Sian said: “Stephen has had to overcome more obstacles in his life than most people will ever have to. Now he’s completed his 13 challenges, and it’s our turn to complete ours.”
Stephen said: “I am proud of Sian for what she is doing to raise money for this brilliant care home. I think this home has excellent staff members who give good support to me and the rest of the residents.”
The Royal Star & Garter Homes provides care for ex-Service people and their partners who live with disability or dementia.
The Charity is exploring options to develop care for younger veterans, like Stephen, enabling them to live more independently.
To sponsor Team Vause go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamvause
For further information please contact:
Goolistan Cooper
Communications Officer
e: goolistan.cooper@starandgarter.org
t: 0208 481 7669 / 07391 868796
Cally Madden
Marketing & Communications Manager
e: cally.madden@starandgarter.org
t: 020 8481 7692
About The Royal Star & Garter Homes:
The Charity provides award-winning care for veterans and their partners who live with disability or dementia.
The Royal Star & Garter Homes is a charity founded in 1916 to care for the severely injured young men returning from the battlegrounds of the First World War. Today we provide specialist care to the whole military family in our friendly, state-of-the-art Homes. Disabled ex-Servicemen and women, and their spouses, can all benefit from our pioneering approach to nursing, dementia and therapeutic care.
We are in the process of building new Homes around the country to provide specialist nursing care for disabled ex-Service people in the best modern surroundings, including dementia care facilities to address this growing need. The Charity has award-winning Homes in Solihull, West Midlands, and Surbiton, Surrey, which also enables the Charity to offer interim care for young disabled Service personnel. Following the successes of the first two Homes, a third Home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is being built, with a planned opening in 2018.
We are proud to have enjoyed Royal patronage since our foundation, including that of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 to the present day.
The Charity celebrated its centenary in 2016: providing specialist care for disabled veterans since 1916.
Twitter: @starandgarter
Facebook: facebook.com/starandgarter
Website: www.starandgarter.org
The Royal Star & Garter Homes is a member of the National Care Forum – the leading voice for not-for-profit care providers. A national perspective may be available from info@nationalcareforum.org.uk or by contacting 02476243619. More details on NCF available at www.nationalcareforum.org.uk.
