Hope – The Way Forward
This year, Boardman Gelly & Co are proud to be working in association with Combat Stress to highlight the wonderful work this organisation does to help veterans suffering from psychological injury.
The pathway represents a question mark. Combat Stress offers a safe, therapeutic environment to provide answers through specialist treatment and welfare support. Veterans go to Combat Stress feeling as if their own pathway is weeded with unpredictable, inexplicable symptoms and behaviours, which damage their social, occupational and family life.
At the start of the pathway, the planting is red and orange, strong colours chosen to symbolise a troubled mind. Travelling along the path, you pass by the different hues of the colour spectrum, moving on to pastel shades, and ending at the olive tree, where soft planting signifies the veterans’ arrival at a better quality of life. Benches offer a place to rest and share the journey.
The timber sleepers laid within the pathway have been engraved to commemorate various conflicts, beginning with the First World War. Combat Stress has played a vital part in the treatment and support of servicemen and women suffering from wounds to the mind since its foundation in 1919.