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VICTORY STAFF GET THE PUSH TO HELP FORMER SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN

26th Sep 2016
Victory Housing Staff doing the 22 Push Up Challenge

Twenty-two fit staff at Victory Housing Trust have each completed 22 press ups– as part of a viral campaign to raise awareness and funds to support the mental health of ex-servicemen and women.

The Victory staff got together to take on the challenge as part of the 22 Push Up Challenge, organised by veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress.

Similar to the viral Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014, the new initiative involves people taking up the challenge of doing 22 press-ups each day for 22 days.  The campaign started in the United States, where it is estimated that 22 veterans take their own lives every day.

Leading the challenge at Victory Housing Trust was Mike Clifford, a former serviceman who served in the Falklands who is now a surveyor with the housing association.  He persuaded 21 colleagues to take part, including Victory chief executive John Archibald.

Mike Clifford said, “More than 6,000 ex-servicemen and women have sought help from Combat Stress over the past 12 months – an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.  This viral campaign is a great way of raising awareness about the problem, as well as raising funds to help the charity support veterans who are facing mental health issues following their time in service.

“For those of us who lead largely sedentary lifestyles, it has also been a chance to grab some exercise and be more healthy.”