British Airways has donated part of a 777 First cabin to a recovery centre run by the servicemen’s aid charity Help for Heroes.
Residents of Tedworth House in Wiltshire often have difficulty sleeping and occasionally find that they prefer to spend their nights somewhere other than in their own bedroom.
So BA gave four reclining seats to what is now called the Speedbird Room. Colleagues from BA Maintenance Cardiff created an environment as close to realistic as possible, with overhead bins, cabin walls with photographs of clouds and even seat numbers, cabin safety cards and in-flight magazines.
“To British Airways, it may not seem a huge deal to donate the Speedbird Room, but to me, it’s a great space,” said resident George Frost. “It’s a place to relax, unwind and forget your troubles for a bit.”
The project was initiated by BA Captain Nigel Cemm after meeting an injured Army officer who told him Tedworth House was looking to build a chill-out room designed around a premium airline cabin.
“For many of the residents, sleeping is a problem and the act of going to bed is yet another stressor at a difficult time,” said Nigel.
“Residents can relax in their own pod and listen to music, watch a DVD and play computer games. Relaxation is an important part of their journey towards recovery, and the BA cabin is a symbol of that journey.
“And it had to be First because our wounded servicemen deserve no less.”
The Speedbird room was completed shortly before the formal opening of Tedworth House by Princes William and Harry in May. MD of Combined Operations Garry Copeland and flight operations director Stephen Riley attended the opening on behalf of BA.