A voyage which will end with the Invictus Games flag arriving in Birmingham will be delivered with military style precision, it was announced today.
Seventy serving military personnel and veterans will oversee “Full Circle” – a 12-week nautical marathon that will see the Invictus flag travel 2,000 miles on two tall ships.
Organisers today revealed that the voyage will start on 17 March 2026, and depart from Falmouth. The ships will then travel anticlockwise around the UK before returning on 11 June 2026. The Invictus flag will then continue its journey to Birmingham for the games in July 2027.
The flag is currently on route back to the UK from Vancouver, Canada aboard HMS Prince of Wales with the UK Carrier Strike Group.
Captain Lee Hazard MStJ KHP Royal Navy, Deputy Director Programmes and Impact Delivery, Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, said: “The Full Circle project will honour the sacrifices of those who have served and will also build a lasting legacy of hope, healing, and possibility.
“With the Invictus Games flag on board, these remarkable veterans will sail with purpose and skill, showing us all the transformative power of teamwork on an epic adventure around the United Kingdom.”
The expedition has been coordinated by veteran sailing charity Turn to Starboard (T2S) and The Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 with the aim of raising £300,000 to help support veterans and serving personnel affected by service to help rebuild confidence, support recovery and strengthen community.
Dan Fielding, a former Royal Marine and T2S Chief Operating Officer and Yachtmaster Instructor, is also joining the expedition as a skipper. He said: “This is a cause very close to my heart – I broke my back and later faced mental health challenges before finding purpose through sailing with the charity.
“From personal experience, I shut myself away for a long time, becoming a recluse that felt I was no good to society, or to myself. Picking up the phone and taking that first step was the hardest thing in the world, but as soon as I called the charity, I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner.”
Sally Terry, CEO of Turn to Starboard, & expedition lead, said: “T2S is proud to announce that this undertaking will be in partnership with the Invictus Games, uniting two organisations committed to empowering veterans through challenge, camaraderie and community.
“Every donation makes a difference to supporting veterans with their mental well-being, building their resilience and restoring a sense of purpose.”
Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 will celebrate the ‘unconquered spirit’ of wounded, injured, and sick (WIS) service personnel and veterans, to deliver a games with lasting social impact. Hosted in a region renowned for military care and major events, the games will promote wellbeing and opportunity across Birmingham and the Midlands.
The staging of the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027 will be a homecoming for many competitors, given Birmingham’s role as the UK’s rehabilitation centre for military personnel.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, is the primary receiving hospital for injured UK and international military personnel alongside Fisher House UK which provides free accommodation for their families.
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