Special Feature - Models for Heroes

Model citizens

The first charitable non-profit of its kind in the UK, Models for Heroes (M4H) supports former and current Armed Forces and Emergency Service Personnel through model making, offering a safe space in which they can socialise, learn new skills and rebuild their confidence following trauma, conflict and injury. Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to chairman and founder Malcolm Childs about the organisation and the positive impact model-making can have on mental health.

A study published in 2023 indicates that PTSD causes as many as 41% of British Armed Forces medical discharges. PTSD can significantly impact a person’s mental health, leaving them depressed, isolated and uncertain about the future. This is where Models for Heroes comes in. Founded in 2017 by modelling enthusiast Malcolm Childs, the organisation supplies model kits to beneficiaries and teaches them the art of model construction. And along the way, they begin to heal.

“We quickly discovered that when their hands were busy constructing a model, the veterans that came to our groups would begin to talk to each other about their feelings and experiences in a way that had even the occupational health professionals scrambling to jot down notes on things they’d never heard of before,” Malcolm explains. “Suddenly, their military knowledge was valuable and applicable again – I remember one beneficiary who noticed immediately that the tracks on a tank were wrong – and that gave them a sense of purpose and belonging that had been missing from their lives.”

Within months, heeding the growing calls from other rehabilitation centres for similar services, Malcolm founded M4H. Friends allowed themselves to be drafted as volunteers to run sessions, while the generosity of donors from all over the UK saw the organisation provided with funding and model kits with which to get their work underway. Nowadays, a total of 200 passionate volunteers assist with the running of the group. Beneficiaries, meanwhile, can choose from more than 60 M4H locations where they can enjoy face-to-face modelling sessions. There are also daily Zoom sessions, allowing modellers to work on projects from the comfort of their own homes.

Most of the kits M4H is donated come from private hobbyists, meaning there’s scope for suppliers to really make a difference by supporting the charity directly. Specialist model and hobby retailers can also set up M4H donation points, allowing customers to donate brand-new kits bought in-store. Popular brands include Asmodee, Airfix, Revell, Warlord Games, Italeri, ICM, Tamiya and Lego, while the most popular themes include historically accurate planes, trucks and vehicles from major military conflicts, sports and luxury car brands, and even fantasy wargaming.

Once built, the models either go on display in the beneficiary’s home or are taken to shows across the country, where the veterans who built them can mingle with likeminded enthusiasts, gain inspiration and ideas for their next build and proudly display their models to fellow hobbyists, temporarily free of their mental health condition and the stigma that still surrounds it; simply a hobbyist, a human with a passion for modelling and a brighter outlook on life than they had before.

To find out more about Models for Heroes, visit www. modelsforheroes.org.uk and to arrange a donation of unbuilt kits (with all parts present and the instructions and decals in good order), contact Malcolm Childs on malcolm.childs@modelsforheroes.org.uk