Page 9 - Top Cover Issue 18

SUMMER 2023 TOP COVER 9

We sat down and agreed the food
provided wasn’t only not ideal, it
would actually stress the system, cause
inflammation and in its own way
prevent officers from being able to
perform to their best. Life is tough
enough on ARV and CTSFO courses;
how can we expect officers to perform
at such a high level by giving them the
exact opposite of what they need at the
all-important mealtimes?
I took Jordan in to speak to meet to
Ch Insp Phil Taylor the CFI at the
time, and explained we wanted to run a
pilot CTSFO and ARV course where
students were given improved nutrition
with five portions of fruit of different
colour sets every day and improved
“snacks”, all carefully judged for their
nutritional content.
All in it would be around £5 per
student per day, and alongside the
additional food, the students would all
have a tailored three-hour nutritional
input from Jordan, with specifics on
elements most vital to getting through
the course and be in the best physical
and mental position the nutrition
could afford them.
And we were off! The feedback I received was excellent across
The CFI agreed to the pilot and
we were off! I had parallel inputs “ the board; if I had to make the feedback up I
(focusing on nutrition on ops) couldn’t have written such accounts – lives
delivered to CTSFOs, ARVs and
instructors, and then a couple of really were being changed for such little outlay.
personalised diet plans for officers off
projects with the lessons I had learned, of armed officers by utilising the
op’s through injury, getting them back
and then tweak and adjust. three pillars approach of nutrition,
three months and six weeks faster than
That was when Operation Fortitude psychology and physicality.
anticipated, saving the job money as
was born; this time the project was On arrival at TVP I found I
well as investing time in and caring for
those on our workforce. entirely my creation, I had by now was now kicking at open doors.
The feedback I received was excellent identified the best subject matter The agile workforce mindset I wanted
across the board; in fact if I had to experts and was keen to recruit them, was there, and from my first meeting
make the feedback up I couldn’t have and over the moon when across the with Insp Jason Shillam (our CFI)
written such accounts and emails – board they accepted. I was given the green light to roll
lives really were being changed for out the nutrition element on an
such little outlay. What is Op Fortitude? IFC course.
I transferred back to Thames Valley So what is it? Op Fortitude is a I contacted Mark Williams at the
Police in February 2022 after my 15- strategic wellbeing programme PFOA for support and project backing
year Met ‘attachment’ and I was keen designed to educate, support and and was met with: “I love it – let’s
to start a project here that took all thereby maximise the health, do it.” Sponsorship of water bottles
the best bits from the UKSF and Met wellbeing, longevity and productivity was the first order of the day for that

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