“The Fund was there for my wife and I when we needed it most”

After a devastating sledging accident left RAF serviceman Matt Wickens in constant pain with a long recovery, the RAF Benevolent Fund was there by his side providing financial aid for his family.

Mechanical Aircraft Engineer Matt Wickens has been serving in the RAF for 14 years, currently based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland. Despite having limitations on deployment and areas of work available to him within the Air Force, due to having epilepsy, Matt has enjoyed a fulfilling career and served for three years at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

In February 2023, Matt had a horrible accident whilst sledging in the mountains in Cyprus. “I went up into the mountains with my family to go sledging, play in the snow and have a change of scenery from the beach and sunshine. I lost control of the sledge I was on whilst on a ski slope. I collided with a tree, breaking seven ribs in ten places, puncturing my lungs and I had internal bleeding.”

Matt spent one week in the trauma ward in hospital in Cyprus and a further 18 months in rehabilitation. During his recovery, a friend contacted Matt to make him aware of the Invictus Games and the benefit it could have to his health, following his own experience two years prior.

Matt said: “I reached a point where I became a bit stagnant and felt as though I had plateaued. I applied for the Games in February 2024 and in August I found out I’d been selected for Team UK. I flew home from Cyprus for the introductory camps, and it was so good for me – rather than being stuck in a physio-rehab cycle where I didn’t feel like I was achieving anything.”

The Invictus Games is taking place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, from 8-16 February 2025. There are 64 members of Team UK taking part with 550 competitors from 25 nations, including 28 RAF personnel.

The multi-sport event offers a recovery pathway for internationally wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. This year’s Games will be the first to include both winter and summer adaptive sports, including sit-ski, wheelchair basketball, swimming, skeleton, indoor rowing and wheelchair rugby, to name a few.

Matt has been preparing for the Games for a year, attending monthly training camps with Team UK and has travelled to various training facilities. He said: “I’ve been attending as many camps as I can and doing lots of swimming. Swimming for me has been beneficial because of the weightlessness in water; it helps relieve the pain in my ribs and spine.

“Adaptive sport has been incredible for me; it’s given me the kick I needed to keep going and to be around others in similar situations with no questions asked if you’re having a bad day, my teammates just get it. That’s been amazing.”

Matt is competing in swimming, biathlon and skeleton bobsleigh. He said: “I’ve never skied before. The first time I clip into skis on snow will be in Canada! I’m very excited to try something new and represent my country. I’m most looking forward to the skeleton – I think it will be a big moment for me with the nature of my accident being on a sledge. This is the event I really wanted to tick off just to say, ‘I’ve done it’. Mentally, it will really help me close a chapter.”

Matt said he always knew about the RAF Benevolent Fund but, in August 2024, he became aware of the full extent of support available to him. He said: “In September 2024, the cost of moving from Cyprus to Scotland was astronomical due to transporting our dog and the shipping costs back to the UK. When we moved into our new home, our tumble dryer broke down which was inconvenient and costly. 

“On top of this, Jen has complex cardiac problems and has a genetic specialist for her condition based in Oxford. I panicked that we had no money for her appointments.”

The Fund stepped in to support the family with a grant for the travel costs to attend an appointment. Matt said: “Being able to ask for help discreetly via WhatsApp was really helpful. We were awarded a grant for her travel from Scotland and back for her appointment. It was a massive support for us.”

Matt described his reaction to the support he’s received since his accident. “It’s one thing to be supported by your family, but to know that the support is there from colleagues, the Fund, my workplace, RBL, the Invictus Games Foundation, has been incredible – and that whatever the problem is, there has been somewhere I can turn has been a real comfort. To have another layer of support and encouragement throughout my recovery has meant I have been able to focus and not worry about the background noise.

“I would say to anyone who is having a difficult time, or has reached a low point, to reach out to the Fund; they are there for you.”