One of our amazing former Veteran Games participants is Rob Bugden. Rob represented Great Britain in cross-country running and joined the RAF in 2008. He became an RAF parachute instructor. Rob was knocked unconscious in mid-air when he collided with another jumper at 900ft and left paralysed from the shoulders down. Rob had broken several vertebrae in his neck and severely damaged his spinal cord. “I was looking forward to going home. The last time I ever walked was actually down the aircraft to the tailgate. I came home slightly different.”
Rob had dreams of working with the special forces. But after the accident left him a tetraplegic and requiring the use of wheelchair at the age of 31, he had new and far bigger challenges to deal with. Rob has not let his disability define him, he has gone on to compete in numerous half marathons and speaks publicly about his injury and resilience.
One such talk was provided to the Mental Health group at HSBC in February 2024. Following the event, HSBC Mental Health Co-Chair, Sachin Ghedia said “Rob’s story was really inspiring and it put things into perspective for us at the bank. Our sufferings in the corporate world sometimes seem more financial or a build-up of work stress but the physical and emotional pain that was portrayed in the story was upsetting. Various people really have been motivated by Rob’s resilience and have applied this to their working and personal life. As our calls remain anonymous, we have also had various people come forward and asked to share their personal stories. So thank you for giving them the courage to do so!”
