The power of community shines through at inaugural RESET weekend

This weekend, I was at the inaugural 999 RESET event at the Badaguish Activity Centre near Aviemore. The centre is Situated in a woodland clearing of the Glenmore Forest and set against a backdrop of the glistening mountain scenery of the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands, making it the ideal location for such an event.

999 RESET is the brainchild of REACT Responder Andy Goldie and a small team from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). The idea was to establish an independent charity event to help address the issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing amongst the police, fire and ambulance services. The group wanted to create an event that provided a supportive environment, with opportunities to share knowledge, best practice and to create a community spirit amongst like minded people. On the evidence of this weekend, it has done all of that and much more.

The weekend’s activities started on Friday evening with a series of talks, the first of which was given by Sam Cairns. Sam is a young adventurer and he shared his experiences about challenges he had to overcome whilst summiting Mount Everest. Next up was me - I shared my experiences as a humanitarian and provided some lessons around mental health and wellbeing that we can apply in our daily lives. The evening wrapped up with a presentation on the realities of living with PTSD and some hard earned advice on prevention and recognition.

The monsoon-like rains failed to abate the group’s enthusiasm and we were all in the kitchen bright eyed and bushy tailed for breakfast on Saturday, ready for a full day of activities. Options included CrossFit, hill walking, paddleboarding, trail running and yoga. In between the activities, there was space to speak to teams from REACT and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Both organisations provided information and equipment displays, with the SFRS also providing literature and links to mental health awareness courses.

Day two finished with what was advertised as a barbeque but was actually, in my opinion, a sumptuous feast! REACT Responders did an epic job in stepping up to support the chef, who was on his own in the kitchen cooking for 70 people. A local band provided some great entertainment. I suspect they might be the only band in the world who put insect repellent on their rider - the Scottish midges were out in force. Sunday provided more opportunities for people to come together and take part in activities, before departing for the epic journey home. After an exceptionally well run event, everyone was already talking about more of the same next year.

The biggest takeaway from this event for me, was the power of community. When you bring like minded souls together, great things happen. The parting shot from my presentation was about the power of humanity, that being a better human makes you a better firefighter, a better responder, a better partner, parent and any number of other things. And there were certainly plenty of good humans in Badaguish for 999 RESET weekend.

To find out more about the event and to register your interest in future events, please visit the facebook page.