MORE than 750 Military and civilian staff flocked to listen to Jason Fox on Wednesday, April 17, when he delivered the second in a series Human Performance Lectures in the HMS Neptune Supermess.
Television personality Jason, who is best known for his role on the popular Channel 4 television series SAS: Who Dares Wins, is a former Royal Marine Commando. Jason or ‘Foxy’ as he is often referred to, was a former Royal Marine, joining in 1992 when he was only 16. He transferred to the Special Boat Service in 2001, where he reached the rank of Sergeant.
This was the first time Jason had delivered this talk and he captivated the audience as he described how he had joined the Royal Marines as a 16-year-old in the 1990s, taking people all the way through his military career to the point he found himself standing in front of crowds. He focussed on his mental health and how he could have handled it better throughout his time as a marine and in the Special Forces.
Jason said:
“It was a real honour to be asked to go and visit the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and all other personnel that make up HMNB Clyde. It was great to talk and reconnect with a community that means so much to me. I had an amazing day being shown around some of the day-to-day operations that the Royal Navy and Royal Marines conduct to make HMNB Clyde an important part of the nation’s safety.”
Jason delivered two talks at Faslane with over 450 people attending the first and over 300 coming along to the second. In between the lectures, attendees had the opportunity to treat themselves to lunch at the American themed ‘pop up’ street food event hosted by ESS catering staff.
Chief Petty Officer, Daryn Mathieson, who went along to listen to Jason said: “I had the pleasure of meeting Jason Fox yesterday who is probably one of the most genuine and down to earth people I have ever met.”
“His talk, which focussed more on his battle with mental health than his battles with the enemy, was inspiring and I certainly took his advice onboard. I think it would be great to have him come back and deliver focussed talks to Submariners.
During his visit, Jason was also given a tour of the Harvey VC building where he met with Royal Marines and then he spent some time being shown round the Submarine Escape, Rescue, Abandonment and Survival Training Facility (SMERAS TF).
“It was a real pleasure to meet Jason Fox yesterday and to show him round the SMERAS Training Facility.” Said Commander Gareth Batsford.
“I think the experience brought back some happy memories, whilst demonstrating some of the more challenging aspects of becoming a Submariner. We look forward to seeing Jason and his colleagues visiting again in the future.”
The main driver for these events is to enhance the health and wellbeing of personnel at HMNB Clyde. By organising high-performance talks, the initiative aims to provide valuable insights and inspiration, ultimately improving the lived experience of individuals within the base. The rationale is to invest in the holistic well-being of the workforce, fostering a positive and resilient environment.
Lieutenant Brett Wild, who organised the event said: “It was brilliant to get to spend the day with Jason Fox. His talks were incredibly open and honest, and it was really inspiring hearing them. I am delighted with the turn out from so many people from all over the Naval Base and it felt like a great unit cohesion event.”
The first of these performance talks took place back in January when JJ Chalmers visited HMNB Clyde, and it is planned to hold more of these informative and motivating sessions which aim to explore all aspects of human performance through talks by experts in various fields and inspiring stories from individuals recounting their experiences.
