Canterbury model company donates kits to veteran charity

Agora Models donated the kits to Models for Heroes, who encourage veterans to take up a new hobby.  Meghan Shaw reports.

Transcript

00:00What do helicopters, glue and military veterans all have in common? They can all

00:07be found in Models for Heroes sessions which allows veterans to distract

00:11themselves, focus on something meaningful and find comfort in shared experiences.

00:16Founded in 2017, the charity hosts two sessions in Kent, one in Ginningham and

00:22the other in Aylesford, which sees attendees create and paint their own

00:27models. A recent collaboration between the Canterbury-based Agora Models, a company

00:32specialising in museum-grade model kits, has donated these to veteran groups in

00:38support of World Mental Health Day next week. Models for Heroes is a support

00:42group for military veterans and emergency personnel and their group revolves around

00:49making models, assembling model kits and building dioramas. But why models? A study in

00:55the British Journal of Occupational Therapy found creative hobbies boost mental

01:00well-being and focusing on a personal project creates a sense of purpose and

01:04accomplishment. People get so much out of it. I can't sort of emphasise that enough.

01:10It's, you know, guys that maybe for the first time have come out and, you know,

01:18interacted with a group of ex-service personnel. And it's not long before, as I say, the banter

01:28starts. But it's great. It's almost like a steam valve releasing all that pressure that's

01:37been built up. And it does help so much. And increased well-being is not the only benefit on offer here.

01:44As you can see here, these are super fiddly, but they're great for improving dexterity.

01:48I'm really struggling here, but these guys are much better than me.

01:52For some, Models for Heroes sessions have been a lifeline.

01:56I'm a veteran in the military of 17 and a half years in the Royal Engineers. And I suffer

02:03with PTSD. And it helps no end. Unfortunately, I've been to some dark places. And I know the

02:16benefit of this because, as I said, it pushes all the nasty thoughts to the back of the mind.

02:21As long as places like these continue to offer support for veterans, the war against loneliness

02:28wages on. Megan Shaw for KMTV in Jenningham.

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