Deptherapy, the charity that works to rehabilitate injured armed forces personnel through scuba-diving, has announced a partnership with the Endeavour Fund, part of the Royal Foundations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
The Fund is set to provide support by covering the cost of drysuits and the running of PADI Open Water Diver courses for 16 new divers in 2018. Deptherapy chairman Dr Richard Cullen said that the Fund wanted to seek out “those harder-to-reach service personnel and veterans who are still struggling to come to terms with life after injury, and who would benefit the most from being involved with an endeavour”.
Speaking at DIVE 2016, the Dive Show at the NEC in Birmingham at the weekend, Cullen also announced a two-year research project in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine at Sheffield University. The Deptherapy programme will be analysed to assess its benefits in terms of the divers’ physical and mental health, and how it assists their rehabilitation.
The project was the brainchild of Hannah Higgins, a fourth-year medical student at the university who also won the Miss Scuba UK title this year.
Meanwhile sponsors are being sought for a major Deptherapy expedition to Truk Lagoon in 2018. “The diving challenge is massive, but the development opportunities for programme-members will be amazing and for some life-changing,” said Cullen.
Working with Coral Cay Conservation, the plan is for the team to undertake an environmental study looking into coral health in Truk.
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25-Oct-16
