Frank Bruno shows his support

BOXING champ Frank Bruno has thrown his weight behind Spartan Survival’s work in supporting mental health and well-being.

Our bushcraft and survival courses are increasingly being booked by people looking to switch off from the strains and pressures of modern life. And ex-World Champion, Frank, 60, who runs his own charity, the Frank Bruno Foundation, has now given his backing.

Frank was left impressed after finding out for himself all about the great work Spartan is doing when he met our founder and course leader, Ian Huntington,
at an event in Chester.

He said: “The work Ian and the team are doing is great. It’s been proven and shown that being outside, keeping active and taking some time out now and then is a brilliant way to keep your mental health in check.

“That’s the secret to what we do at our courses at the Frank Bruno Foundation and it’s clear it is at the heart of the philosophy Ian and his team use too. It’s a great organisation which people should give a go.”

Frank met Spartan when he visited Chester to talk about his career and life and times. During his visit he also signed copies of his new book, 60 Years A Fighter and spoke to Spartan investor, Roy Shelton.

Following the meeting, Ian has now invited Frank and his Foundation team to visit the Spartan Family at their site in Cholmondeley, Cheshire the next time they are in the north west.

Spartan are also hoping to put on an event near to Frank’s charity-base in Northampton in the future.

Ian said: “Frank’s a national treasure, whose work on raising awareness of mental ill health is absolutely inspirational. We look forward to hopefully working with Frank and his team in the future.”
We’ve seen a six-fold third in bookings since the pandemic as business leaders seek a “reset in mindset.”

Increasing numbers of teams, many now working from home, are currently “reconnecting” on our courses which are specially designed to address pandemic brain fatigue.

We also oversee an elite course at a secret location in Scotland which offers similar challenges to those featured on survival TV programmes loved by millions of viewers.

In the space of a year, attendances on our Cheshire-course have risen from 10-a-month to 60-a-month.

Almost a third of those taking part are women and we are now offering female-only courses. There has also been a spike in demand for elite training.

Business leaders attending courses are put through their paces by our accomplished elite military veterans, serving as course instructors, who share their insight and skills to attendees imparting various military techniques and survival knowledge in the process.

Ian added: “Those running businesses often turn up to our courses with their minds crammed full of things they need to do and tasks they think they need to complete. But as soon as they arrive we make clear they need to press pause on all of that and instead encourage them to focus on just four things: shelter, fire, water and food. Many are a bit wary of handing in their mobile phones. And some look nervous as they head off to spend two or three days on their own in the wilderness, device-free, with the only task on their to-do list being survival. But by the end of the course they’ve gone through a total reset in their minds.

Everyone who attends later reports how much it helps to improve their performance once back at work. Our courses are also proving really popular too for groups of co-workers who are no longer based in the same location. It’s clear the pandemic has transformed the working environment and many companies now feel detached by work from home, even though it does have its plus points. But by attending a course, people find they can work together again, side-by-side in a challenging environment and it creates a stronger bond and team spirit.”