Richard 'Dickie' Bennett

Dickie served in the Royal Marines for 16 years, deploying around the globe on operations, in a multitude of combat focused roles. Eventually he was medically discharged in 2011. Since leaving the Marines, Dickie has transformed his experiences of living with PTSD and disability into an empowering narrative, sharing his personal recovery journey with fellow Veterans, emphasizing that life after service is possible. Over the past decade, Dickie has been at the forefront of heritage-based wellbeing projects. His direct involvement as a participant in these initiatives, combined with his role in establishing Breaking Ground Heritage, has made him a pioneer in developing and delivering specialist wellbeing projects specifically tailored for the Veteran community. Now, Dickie is embarking on an academic journey. His goal is to delve deeper into the mechanisms that drive wellbeing interventions. He is particularly interested in measuring project outcomes and impact, with a focus on Veterans. By bridging practical experience with scholarly inquiry, Dickie aims to enhance the effectiveness of these interventions and contribute significantly to the field of Veterans’ well-being.