08:25, 17 April 2025
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
Veterans from a local community are coming together to run a weighted 10k challenge in the name of mental health.
Hughie Benson served for 24 years in the first battalion with the Royal Irish Regiment, finishing as Regimental Sergeant Major. When he left the army, he was in good shape, both mentally and physically, but the same couldn’t be said for some of his friends.
Inspired to give back, carving a new path for himself after his service, Hughie set up Pheniks Division, a CIC which delivers first aid, safeguarding, and mental health training, with a particular focus on basic life support.
Pheniks provides this training in particular to young people with a need for guidance, to give them the skills they need to tackle life’s challenges and changes head on.
“I was in Kabul when I started putting together my idea [for] Pheniks, leaving and working with vulnerable young people that were in trouble or lost their way,” explains Hughie. “[Originally]I didn't really want to work with [veterans], because I didn't know if I were [sic.] gonna be okay.”
Despite this initial reticence, Hughie went on to run a veteran’s boxing club at Elite Gym, once more building a community to surround, uplift and support their mental health.
"The boxing really was just an excuse to get people to turn up,” admits Hughie. “For me, it was more about the social and support networks they were going to build."
In the four years since Hughie left the army, he has lost seven friends to suicide. That is more than he lost in 24 years of service, and highlights the need for change, not just in the way we talk about mental health, but in the support given to those leaving active service.
“Veterans supporting veterans is a model, because [of] the similar experience,” explains Hughie. “What I find is ex-arms personnel will speak to me about what's really happening. They won't they won't sugarcoat things, they won't hide.”
“That makes sense. For 24 years I relied on other soldiers to keep me alive. It's what we're used to.”
To create avenues for this support, Hughie and a number of other veterans took on a 10k Weighted TAB, to raise funds for Pheniks Division. Tabbing is a term unique to the British military, standing for ‘Tactical Advance to Battle’. It is meant to simulate a military advance, usually over difficult terrain with heavy loads.
The places for the team from Pheniks Division CIC veterans boxing at Elite Community Hub were donated places by the Bolton Wanderers Remembrance Group. The TAB was completed on 13 April 2025, with the hope of raising £3,000 to be spent on mental health support for veterans.
“There's not just one single event that causes this massive traumatic stress problem. It's a build up of things,” says Hughie. “But don't forget your trauma cup doesn't start filling when you're in the army. It has been filling up since you grew up.”
The weight that the team carried through their TAB represents the weight that so many veterans carry every day, the burden of their mental health struggles. But just like on a TAB, you aren’t carrying those struggles alone; there are people around you that you can share your worries with, who can support you on your journey.
You can show your support for Hughie and the Pheniks Division Veterans by donating to their JustGiving page, raising vital funds that will help them provide much needed mental healht support to veterans and their families.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Ripple Suicide Prevention. R;pple exists to ensure immediate mental health support is presented to individuals following a harmful online search. Learn more here.
Papyrus. This is the leading suicide prevention charity for young people, working with under 35s. Find out more.
PTSD UK. This is a community for everyone in the UK that is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Find out more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing, Partnership for the Goals.
