The Okehampton air cadet squadron marked a high point in their fundraising campaign for the armed forces organisation, Rock2Recovery, on a high last weekend with a charity run along the Granite Way.

Cadets, staff, Rock2Recovery representatives and members of the public gathered at the cadet headquarters on Saturday morning (September 19) to complete a five or 10k run or enjoy cake and coffee inside in support of the charity which provides mental health support to members of the armed forces, veterans, their families and blue light personnel.

The event is the latest in a successful fundraising campaign with the air cadets smashing their initial £2K target. To date, they have raised £2,797 for Rock2Recovery.

Flight Lieutenant Dave Wilkinson, who leads the Okehampton squadron, said: “Although 2443 (Okehampton) squadron cadets and staff have taken part in not only the event last week but several fundraising events throughout the year, the main driver has been my lovely wife, Sonia. She has been tireless in her efforts to encourage sponsorship, one-off donations and participation in events, even standing outside a local supermarket on her own for four hours with a bucket collecting funds towards it. I am extremely proud of her and all of the members of the squadron who have given up their time to support the Rock2Recovery initiative.”

The cadets first found out about Rock2Recovery at the Royal British Legion Remembrance ceremony in 2025 and decided to make it the focus of their fundraising efforts in 2026.

Charlie Hobson from Rock2Recovery said that £3,000 could support six or seven families in need. He added that the charity has reached around 6,000 people with about 4,500 of those from the armed forces. The charity’s biggest workload is in the South West.

Rock2Recovery was founded by Jason Fox (“Foxy”), known from SAS: Who Dares Wins, and his friend Jamie Sanderson.

For more information visit https://www.rock2recovery.co.uk/.