RMA-RMC-Impact-Report-2023-24 - Flipbook - Page 19
New horizons
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Home grown
of the world’s harshest and toughest
climbing environments, RMA – The
Royal Marines Charity was there
to help him pursue his dream.
“The course was absolutely amazing and
covered all aspects of mountaineering,
from clothing and climbing theories
to everything rock-related in the
Himalayas,” says Ryan.
“Just before graduating, we headed
to Rathong Glacier for seven days of
ice-craft. This was the bit we had all
been waiting for, trekking to base camp
experiencing everything from glacier
crossings and ice climbing to crevasse
rescues and ice-axe self arrests.”
He has since spent his first season
in Nepal as a fully qualified guide
accompanying treks to Everest Base
Camp, summiting Ama Dablam and
taking tourists around some of the
smaller treks in the foothills around
Kathmandu. “Me being a foreigner
was a big hit especially with the locals
and everyone wanted to meet the
foreign guide!”
In between Everest climbing seasons,
Ryan is back working in Dubai and, in
going from one extreme to another, will
return to Nepal later in the year with
ambitious plans to take his exciting new
career to the highest possible peak!
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Tom served 15 years as a bugler
in HM Band of the Royal Marines,
doing what he loved best.
“I served in four of the five RM bands.
I travelled the globe playing at key
events such as Prince Philip’s funeral,
the 2012 Olympics and Rugby World
Cup. I served in Afghanistan on
Herrick 14 as an ambulance driver
with close support medical squadron.
The highlight of my
career was playing the
Last Post at the Festival
of Remembrance in
the Royal Albert Hall
in 2013 and 2014.
However, in February 2021, when
taking a course to become a Sgt.
Bugler, I ended up in rehabilitation
after suffering a blood clot in
my shoulder and pulmonary
embolism. Six months later, I
was medically discharged.
In the midst of my desperate search
for a new job, our family computer
broke down and I had to rely on my
mobile phone to make applications.
So I was really grateful when the
Charity helped me purchase a
laptop so I could properly write
my CV and apply for roles.”
Tom gained a job as a general
manager at a hotel in Devon
and quickly discovered he
had a talent for business.
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“During second lockdown, an
independent estate and lettings
agency came up for sale in Exmouth.
So I decided to go-it-alone and
started talks with a franchise to help
me in buying the business. Again,
the laptop was an essential piece of
equipment for me — meetings were
still all online and it also enabled me
to draw up a professional business
plan and apply for business loans.
Fast forward to October 2022
and I successfully completed my
purchase of a new estate and lettings
agency, Belvoir Exmouth. Over
the first five months, we grew our
lettings portfolio by 10% and after
another business acquisition, will
be adding even more properties
to our managed portfolio.
Our ethos at the business is
very pro-Corps family, and are
always on the lookout to use
veteran contractors such as
plumbers, roofers or cleaners.
At 38-years-old with three small
children, it was quite a challenging
time to suddenly lose my career
but the Charity threw me a real
lifeline by helping me get the
tools I needed to forge a new way
forward for myself and my family.”
And it’s onwards and upwards for
Tom. As this Report goes to print,
Belvoir Exmouth had been advised
it had won the Belvoir Group’s
‘Newcomer of the Year’ award.
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