Veterans World - Issue 22

Issue 22 December 2011

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Veterans get the key to the

new St Dunstans centre

®

Veterans get the key to the

new St Dunstans centre

Veterans World

SupportAdvice

One stop shopHelpline

Service PersonnelWar Pension

Pensions

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Residential HomeHomelessness

MoneyBenefitsRecognitionRemembrance

Ex-Service Armed Forces DayMedalsJoint Casualty and Compassionate CentreIn-Service

Armed Forces CovenantVeteransWidows Widowers

Service Personnel & Veterans Agency

Contact us:

Serving Personnel:JPAC Enquiry Centre: 0141 224 3600Email: [email protected]

Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre01452 519951

Veterans:Veterans UK Helpline: 0800 169 2277You may be offered a call back if lines arebusy

Email: [email protected]: www.veterans-uk.info

HELP AND SUPPORT FROMSERVICE PERSONNEL AND VETERANS AGENCY

Veterans Welfare Service

®

3Issue 22 December 2011

Be part of the communityNew grant scheme to provide awareness

opportunities

Making adjustmentsNorth East Well-being Group support for

veterans

Poppy callsA ‘handy’ service for veterans

A place to rememberThe National Memorial Arboretum tenth

anniversary

RegularsNews in Brief

SPVA News

Noticeboard

IN THIS ISSUE13

16

18

23

4-5

25

26

Veterans WORLD is distributed to those work in an advisory role.Managing Editor: Laurie MantonEditor: Clare EllisDeputy Editor: Chrissie ButterworthEmail: [email protected]

For distribution enquiriesEmail: [email protected] or call: 01253 330448 or 01253 338816

Want to make an editorial contribution?Contributions are most welcome.To raise awareness of an initiative, scheme or organisation that offershelp, advice or support to veterans, contact the editorial team;

by Email: [email protected] or by calling: 01253 338816

© Crown copyright 2011

For advertising opportunities please contact:

[email protected]

Front cover: Veterans receive the key to the new St

Dunstans Centre in Llandudno pages 6 - 7

The content of Veterans WORLD is provided to raise awareness ofhelp, advice and support available to the veterans community.Publication of articles on services provided or developmentsaffecting the veterans community does not mean that they areendorsed by Veterans WORLD or the Ministry of Defence.

13

Contents Issue 22

December 2011

22-23

1618 16

22-23

18

13

4

News in brief

The Lifeforce guide

New support forveterans in the WestMidlandsVolunteering charity TimeBank has expanded Shoulder toShoulder - its mentoring project for ex-Servicemen andwomen - into the West Midlands. This will enable TimeBankto support veterans from the Birmingham area to adjust tocivilian life following treatment for mental health problems. Shoulder to Shoulder was launched in London last year inpartnership with Combat Stress. It’s the first peer mentoringproject in the UK which supports this group. Volunteers areeither ex-Servicemen and women who have made asuccessful transition to civilian life or who have anunderstanding of the issues through direct familyconnections. They provide friendship and practical supportto enchance recovery.

The project’s expansion into the West Midlands has beenmade possible by funding of £114,500 from the Royal BritishLegion and Combat Stress’ Voluntary Sector StrategicPartnership. Shoulder to Shoulder has also been delightedby the support the project has received from BirminghamMind which has welcomed the project coordinator intoBirmingham Mind’s Mental Health Single Point of Access(SPA), a network that will help advertise the project’s workand encourage veterans to access the service.

One of the Birmingham team’s first initiatives is a drop-incentre at Carrs Lane Church in Birmingham city centre everyWednesday morning. There, local veterans and would-bementors will be able to drop in for coffee and a chat with theShoulder to Shoulder team and find out how they can getinvolved in the project. www.timebank.org.uk/shoulder-to-shoulder

To reflect the nation’s debt to the British Armed Forcesveterans of the Second World War, the Big Lottery Fund(BIG) has been awarding grants through its Heroes Return2 programme. To date, BIG has awarded over £25 millionto more than 50,000 Second World War veterans, widows,spouses and carers across the UK. The closing date forapplications is January 31, 2012 for journeys untilDecember 31, 2012.

Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said:

“It is important that veterans from across the countrywho have not yet applied for a grant are aware that theBig Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme is stillopen for applications. I’m delighted that we can offer thissupport and I urge them to apply now for acommemorative trip in 2011/12 to revisit the places theyserved.”

Launched to mark the historic 60th anniversary of D-Dayin 2004, BIG’s first Heroes Return scheme awarded £16.6million to over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows andcarers to fund commemorative visits to Second World Warbattlefields, cemeteries and other significant places acrossthe world.

Heroes Return was the centre-piece of the VeteransReunited programme including Home Front Recall whichawarded £19.2 million to support UK-based group eventsand activities to commemorate those who contributed tothe war-effort on the home front, and Their Past YourFuture with an ongoing £9.6 million scheme funding aUK-wide schools and education programme to give youngpeople the opportunity to learn first-hand from veteransabout their experience of war.

For more information and details of how to apply for aHeroes Return 2 grant call 0845 00 00 121 or visitwww.biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn

A map revealing where veterans in Scotland are to befound was launched in October. The map is based onthose aged between 26 and 65, where the greatestneed for additional support lies.

The map will be made available to health boards, localauthorities and charities to help them plan and delivertheir services to veterans in the future.

The map was derived from a Scottish Governmentstudy into the health of veterans and shows theconcentration of veterans in each postcode district.Individual residences are not identified to protectprivacy. It complements data recently released by theMOD on the area of residence of Armed Forcespensioners and War Disability pensioners. TheScottish Government have also mapped the MODveterans data and all three maps are available at

A new service designed to inform and support serviceveterans in the South West living with mental health issueslaunched in October.

The South West Veterans Mental Health Service is a newpartnership between Avon & Wiltshire Mental HealthPartnership NHS Trust and Combat Stress, the Veterans’Mental Health Charity, supported by Help for Heroes.

The aim of this innovative service is to deliver improved careand support to former Service personnel who suffer mentalhealth problems as a result of their military experiences.

One of the key tools of the new service is the website whichoffers advice, guidance, links, comments from other veteransand a helpline number allowing veterans or their families toself-refer to support services. www.swveterans.org.uk

New maps toaid servicesto veterans Dedicated mental

health support forSouth West veterans

Still time to make a heroes return

Lifeforce is a guide for professionals working with veterans,produced by Humber NHS Foundation Trust in collaborationwith Scottish Association of Mental Health. The guide isdesigned to help health professionals working with peoplewith a military background by providing them with anunderstanding of military culture and mental healthservices and issues that veterans may present with. Thebooklet contains veterans' own personal stories from thelocal region of their experience of accessing services.

The guide also acts as a resource, listing services available inthe local area to act as a directory in order to signpostveterans to sources of support for a range of issues fromdebt, employment and housing issues through to mentalhealth and alcohol problems. The guide aims to improvethe confidence of health professionals in working withmilitary veterans and make engagement for veterans easierand more effective.www.humber.nhs.uk/services/traumatic-stress-service.htm

The Merseyside Royal Marines group received awardsunder the scheme

Pictu

re: D

omini

c Hold

en

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/ArmedForcesandVeterans/documents


A Memorial, honouring over 50,000 airmen killed duringthe Second World War, is to be built in London's Green Parkfollowing the award, by the Bomber CommandAssociation, of a contract for its construction.

The memorial will honour the 55,573 airmen from BomberCommand who lost their lives in the Second World War. Itis due for completion in 2012 when the RAF BenevolentFund will take over its ownership and ongoingmaintenance.

Designed by architect Liam O'Connor, who previouslydesigned the Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire, thememorial will feature as its centrepiece a nine-foot-high(2.7m) bronze by sculptor Philip Jackson depicting a seven-man bomber crew returning to base afteroperations.

It will be built in the north west corner of Green Park,adjacent to Piccadilly.

Tell Us Once is a service that will be availableacross most of England, Scotland and Wales inthe next few months. It makes it easier tonotify government and your local authority of abirth or bereavement.

From this autumn, the Service Personnel andVeterans Agency (SPVA) will become part ofthe Tell Us Once service. Tell Us Once will allowthe next of kin to inform SPVA almostimmediately to update its War PensionsScheme records.

Without Tell Us Once, reporting a birth or deathto government departments and the parts oflocal authorities that need to know means thatpeople have to repeat the same informationnumerous times.

When people register a death, the service willbe offered to them if it is available in their localauthority. People can choose to have a face-to-face interview or to do it by telephone.Organisations notified by Tell Us Once when adeath is registered can be found atwww.direct.gov.uk/death-tellusonce. This site will also let you know if the service isalready available in your area.

Tell Us Once

Bomber Command Memorial

The Armed Forces BillThe principles of the Armed Forces Covenant have beenenshrined in law for the first time after the Armed ForcesBill received Royal Assent in November.

The new Armed Forces Act 2011 creates the requirementfor an annual Armed Forces Covenant report to be made toParliament each year.

These reports will set out how the Government issupporting our Armed Forces, their families and veterans inkey areas such as healthcare, housing and education. http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/armedforces.html

Big White Wall – safe, anonymous support.When dealing with mental health issues, Servicepersonnel, veterans and their families now have access to specialised online help and support.

Within the first 24 hours of the launch ofwww.bigwhitewall.com, 600 people registered to useit. Clearly the volume of new joiners demonstratesthere has been a need for a safe, anonymous space forServing personnel, veterans and their families, toshare what’s troubling them and seek help withoutfear of stigma.

The online well-being network Big White Wall isequipped to support the mental health needs of theArmed Forces Community. The site is staffed byprofessional counsellors who can be contacted 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

Among other services, Big White Wall users can chatanonymously to others who may have gone throughsimilar experiences.

The Government has committed £250,000 to fund aone-year pilot of the Big White Wall online supportnetwork, specifically for Serving personnel, veteransand their families.

This is supported by a commitment of £100,000 fromHelp for Heroes for the first year, with additionalfunding after this

The Department of Health has also launched an e-learning package it has funded for GPs, so they canbetter identify mental health problems and supportveterans and their families.

The course was developed by the Royal College ofGeneral Practitioners as part of plans to improveveterans' mental health services.

It will raise awareness with GPs of the need to ensurethat those seriously injured when discharged from theArmed Forces continue to receive the best possiblecare. It will also ensure that GPs are able to offer theright support to families of those currently serving orwho are veterans.

As part of the Government's new mental healthstrategy, 'No Health Without Mental Health', over £7million in additional funding has been made availableover the next four years to help ensure that veteranswith mental health problems get the very best care.

Online mentalhealth forumlaunched

Architect's drawing of the Bomber Command Memorial

Pictu

re: ©

Liam

O'Co

nnor

Arch

itects

& Pl

annin

g Con

sulta

nts

6

St Dunstan’s new£12 million stateof the artRehabilitationand TrainingCentre in

Llandudno, NorthWales, opened onSeptember 19, to

begin providing

first class helpand support to

blind and visually impaired ex-Servicemen and women.

MARK LOVATT, Manager of St Dunstan’s

Llandudno Centre said,

“My staff and I are delighted to finally be

able to welcome beneficiaries in to this

magnificent facility. We are really looking

forward to using our skills and experience

to help blind and visually impaired

veterans regain their independence, meet

new challenges and achieve a better

quality of life.”

The Llandudno Centre is a striking building

set in scenic grounds, and has 40 en-suite

bedrooms with a mixture of residential

and nursing beds plus a variety of

residential lounges, a fully equipped gym,

two training kitchens featuring all the

latest helpful gadgets, a sports/activities

hall, IT training rooms, and an arts and

crafts workshop.

There is also a training flat where

beneficiaries can stay for a short period of

time to help them hone their independent

living skills secure in the knowledge that

there are St Dunstan’s staff nearby if they

need help.

The Centre will serve the whole of the UK,

but especially blind and visually impaired

veterans across Wales and North West

England. It has the capacity to

accommodate up to 50 people a day.

Eighty-two year old Trevor Berry, from

Liverpool, was among the first

beneficiaries to sample the Centre’s

facilities as he and wife Ann, 81, enjoyed a

week long holiday starting on

September 19. Trevor said:

“The day the Centre opened -

September 19, was actually our 58th

wedding anniversary, so we were thrilled

to be able to celebrate it at the St

Dunstan’s Centre. Ann and I can’t thank

the staff enough for such a brilliant holiday

and all the facilities were so impressive.”

On the morning of the Centre’s first day of

business, three intrepid visually impaired

ex-Servicemen marked the opening of the

Centre and the end of an epic 327-mile

celebratory march by handing over a

symbolic ‘key’ for the Centre to Mark

Lovatt.

Billy Black, Charlie Eastwood and Chris Lee

are all beneficiaries of St Dunstan’s – the

charity that helps blind and visually

impaired ex-Servicemen and women.

They started the Centre-2-Centre march on

September 5 at the charity’s Brighton

Rehabilitation and Training Centre, where

they were given the ‘key’ to the charity’s

new Llandudno Centre and then visited St

Dunstan’s Sheffield Centre before finally

reaching the new Centre on September 19.

It is the fact that the March encompassed

all the charity’s Centres that gave it its

name.

Billy Black said:

” I came up with the idea for the

Centre-2-Centre march because I wanted

to give something back to St Dunstan’s for

all the support it has given me over the

years. St Dunstan’s Sheffield and Brighton

Centres have helped all three of us and we

wanted to celebrate the opening of the

Llandudno Centre, so Charlie and Chris

were more than willing to join me on the

march.”

The new Llandudno Rehabilitation and Training Centre now open

“. . . all the

facilities were

so impressive.”

Trevor and Ann Berry were among the first to enjoy the new facilities

ContactsIf you would like to know more about St

Dunstan’s and its new Llandudno

Rehabilitation and Training Centre,

visit: www.st-dunstans.org.uk

or call 020 7723 5021.

New St Dunstan’s ce


“We are really

looking forward to

using our skills

and experience to

help blind and

visually impaired

veterans regain

their independence,

meet new

challenges and

achieve a better

quality of life.”

ntre opens its doors

Wyn Owen - a St Dunstan’s beneficiary tries out new

shaded glasses with the help of a Rehabilitation Officer

for Visually Impaired

John Robinson, another St Dunstan’s beneficiary, tries out thefacilities in the Llandudno centre’s specially adapted gym

Three veterans, supported by St Dunstans, receive the key to the new centre during its launch in September

8

The Government is investing up to£15 million to support therecommendations to improveprosthetics services for militaryveterans who have lost a limb due toactivities while serving their country.

DR ANDREW MURRISON MP led a review

into the prosthetic services currently

offered to veterans by the NHS.

In response to his key recommendations,

the Department of Health will introduce

a number of national specialist

prosthetic and rehabilitation centres for

amputee veterans across the country.

The Government will work with service

charities, including Help for Heroes and

BLESMA (The British Limbless Ex-Service

Men’s Association) as well as specialists

within the NHS to ensure that high

quality NHS facilities are available to

military heroes.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who

made the announcement, said:

"This report maps out a clear strategy for

ensuring that those brave people can be

confident they will receive the same

levels of access to prosthetic limbs and

specialist care from the NHS as they do

at Headley Court.

"Based on the recommendations in this

report, this Government will make the

resources necessary to meet that need in

England, and we are working with the

Devolved Administrations on

arrangements in Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland.”

Dr Andrew Murrison MP, said:

“The rapid roll out of the

recommendations I made last year on

veterans’ mental health has been

impressive and I look forward to these

latest proposals being progressed with

the same enthusiasm. I hope the

action points I have offered honour

the military covenant and benefit

military amputees but I have been

clear that they should also help to

improve the service available to all

limb centre users.”

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, said:

"We will use the opportunity provided

by Dr Murrison's report to extend the

modern, high quality treatment

currently provided by Headley Court not

only to veterans but also to NHS

patients, for whom it is clinically

appropriate.”

Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare

and Veterans, Andrew Robathan, said:

“The recommendations build on the

high standards of rehabilitation and

prosthetics provided by the Defence

Medical Services and will ensure that the

quality of care our people rightly

deserve continues into civilian life

through the NHS, for as long as the care

is needed.”

Jerome Church General Secretary of

BLESMA (The British Limbless Ex-Service

Men’s Association), said:

“We are now much more confident that

the NHS will be able to provide the

prosthetic support veterans need and

deserve - for the rest of their lives. We

are also delighted that this enhanced

support will be extended to all veterans

who lost limbs in earlier conflicts.”

Bryn Parry OBE, co-founder and Chief

Executive of Help for Heroes said:

“We look forward to working with the

NHS, MOD and other departments and

charities to ensure that the amputees

and indeed all military casualties, get the

very best support for life.”

New NHS treatment centres for military heroesMurrison’s NHS prosthetics services review recommendations supported by Government

Eligibility for the services provided bythese new prosthetic and rehabilitationcentres - the intention is that all veterans

with injuries caused by Service and

requiring prosthetics care will be eligible to

use the service, subject to clinical need.

The Department of Health will also use the

experience and feedback from providing

these specialist services to veterans and

apply these to the wider NHS, so that all

patients will benefit in the future.


(from l to r) Billy, Charlie and Chris handing the

‘key’ to Mark Lovatt

An independent audit commissioned bythe MOD has shown the majority ofBritish nuclear test veterans feel theirhealth needs are being met well by the

NHS.

THE audit, carried out with support from

the British Nuclear Test Veterans

Association (BNTVA), asked nearly 900

veterans about their experiences of serious

ill-health and their views of how health and

social care services had met their needs. It

also gathered suggestions from the

veterans about how health and social care

services could be improved.

Most veterans felt their needs were being

met well by the NHS, though there were

some concerns expressed about access to

social care services.

Veterans made a number of suggestions

including how communication with the

MOD could be improved, such as the

provision of better information about the

nuclear tests.

In total, 891 questionnaires were sent out to

veterans who had participated in the British

Nuclear Tests in the 1950s and 1960s. More

than 633 were returned, a response rate of

71 per cent. In addition 84 individuals took

part in eight discussion groups which took

place at various locations around the UK.

The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare

and Veterans, Andrew Robathan, said:

"The MOD will be considering the veterans'

suggestions in detail and in consultation

with other Government departments such

as the Department of Health.

"We appreciate the help provided by the

British Nuclear Test Veterans Association in

helping to promote participation in the

project with their members, and we will

work with them to examine and respond to

the issues raised by the report.

"The Government recognises and is grateful

to all the Servicemen who were present at

the nuclear testing programme. Their

contribution ensured that the UK was

equipped with an appropriate nuclear

deterrent during the Cold War which,

thankfully, we have never had cause to

use."

Chairman of the BNTVA, Nigel Heaps, said:

"Since April 2009, the BNTVA has worked

closely with the Ministry of Defence and

Miles & Green Associates to investigate the

particular health needs of nuclear test

veterans and their offspring with a view to

identifying priorities and taking action to

improve health. Having been fully involved

at every stage of this work we are delighted

to support the publication of its findings.

During this period the BNTVA has been

actively supported by our patron John

Baron MP.

"Information from the audit will greatly

assist our charity in achieving our key aims;

we desperately needed to quantify the

health and well-being problems faced by

Atomic Veterans to ensure we target our

activities and resources to the greatest

effect. This study is the first time that

veterans themselves have been asked for

their personal response to questions

regarding their health and well-being.”

Health needs audit finds NHS supportsBritish nuclear test veterans

Information

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/

AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/

HealthandSafetyPublications/NuclearTests/

UkNuclearTestVeteransHealthNeedAudit.htm

The health needs audit can be found at

"This study is the first time thatveterans themselves have beenasked for their personalresponse to questions regardingtheir health and well-being."

"We appreciate the helpprovided by the British NuclearTest Veterans Association inhelping to promoteparticipation in the projectwith their members, and wewill work with them to examineand respond to the issues raisedby the report.”

Most veterans felt that their needs were being met by the NHS

10

Jock Hutchinson (front) and RM

Jay Hare out on the trail

ContactsThe fear of stigma and discriminationare two of the biggest obstacles facedby Veterans with mental health

problems, but a charity has launched acampaign to encourage people to seekhelp sooner.

COMBAT STRESS is the UK’s leading

military charity specialising in the

treatment of veterans’ mental ill-health.

On October 10, it launched a two-year

campaign, funded by Comic Relief, to

further raise awareness of Combat Stress’s

services, address the stigma that

surrounds veterans’ mental health

disorders, and battle the perception of

shame that so often prevents brave

ex-Servicemen and women from seeking

help. Similar work is underway within the

Army through its ‘Don’t bottle it up’

anti-stigma campaign.

Veterans are being encouraged to seek

help by picking up the phone and calling

the Combat Stress 24-hour Helpline on

0800 138 1619 or text 07537 404 719.

Reducing StigmaA two-year campaign aims to address the stigma that surrounds veterans’ mental health

Combat Stress is a national charity that

provides its services across the United

Kingdom. For more information, visit

www.combatstress.org.uk.

World-renowned chef Marco PierreWhite joined forces with Riverside-ECHGto help launch a fundraising campaignto kit out their new social enterprisebakery which will provide veterans ofIraq, Afghanistan and other conflictswith vital training opportunities.

THE bakery will be built at RECHG’s new

The Beacon scheme, which neighbours

Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and

which is due to officially launch in 2012

and will be supporting homeless

ex-Servicemen

and women from

across the

country.

The Beacon is a

flagship

accommodation,

training and

social enterprise

centre run by

RECHG, which

helps ex-Service

personnel at risk

of homelessness.

The bakery will

provide the

opportunity to

start fresh lives by

providing

vocational

training and accredited qualifications.

Riverside’s MOD Area Manager, Trevor

Morris, himself an ex-Serviceman, said:

“When people leave the Armed Forces

they often find that while they have lots of

very useful team and project management

skills, they need to develop trades that will

find them jobs in civilian life.

“We consulted with a lot of veterans about

what trades would interest them and

active trades such as a bakery and

landscaping came out very high. All our

residents are thrilled that Marco has come

on board to support them and they can’t

wait to offer him the very first batch of

Veterans Cookies to come out of their

bakery.”

“I feel passionate about themorality and value ofworking hard and thestabiliser of routine to helpground people. And there’snothing more beautiful andhonest than making a decentloaf of bread or goodespresso. This bakery is away to bring peopletogether and work for acommon cause.”

Marco Pierre White

ContactsThe Bakery will be run in partnership

with the Clervaux Trust, artisan bakers,

themselves a local social enterprise.

www.spaces.org.uk

The social enterprise with celebrity connections

Riverside-ECHG client and former Serviceman Ian Walker - Marco Pierre

White - Active Serviceman Kingsman Madine from Catterick Garrison

The Enemy Within Appeal was launched on October 10 - World Mental Health Day

September 2011

Service Personnel & Veterans Agency

Armed ForcesCompensation Scheme

Call the free Helpline to find out more.

0800 169 2277 (UK only) +44 1253 866 043 (overseas)

Injured due to service on or after 6 April 2005?You may be entitled to compensation from the

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

www.mod.uk/afcs www.veterans-uk.info

Cliff,an Army Veteran. He saw active

service as a 21 year old in the

Second World War and served

until 1948. During his career in

the Armed Forces he was

posted in North Africa and

Palestine.

Now we aresupporting him . . .

The Veterans Welfare Service, part of the MOD’s Service Personnel and

Veterans Agency’s services to the Armed

Forces Community across the UK.

From advice on Service pensions, referrals to

ex-Service organisations to accessing your Welfare

needs, there may be something we can help you

with.

The Veterans Welfare Service provides a personal

caseworker service that can support you via the

telephone or home visits, if needed.

Give us a callto see how we might be able to help you . . . Just call

our helpline on 0800 169 2277 and ask to speak to

the Veterans Welfare Service.

For more information visit

www.veterans-uk.info

The Veterans Welfare Service

12

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trusthas launched a Military Veterans’

Service to provide mental healthsupport to veterans of the British

Armed Forces and their immediatefamily members.

THE MILITARY VETERANS’ SERVICE has

been commissioned as part of the

Improving Access to Psychological

Therapies (IAPT) programme.

It’s one of the first IAPT services for

veterans in the country and the first time

Pennine Care has provided a service

across the region, making it a significant

development for the Trust. Based near

Manchester, Pennine Care is a proven

provider of mental health and

community services, providing care to a

population of 1.1 million.

The Military Veterans’ Service can help

anyone who has served in the Army,

Royal Navy or Royal Air Force, including

the Reserves. It provides treatment and

support for a range of mental health

conditions such as depression, anxiety,

stress, anger, substance misuse and post-

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Most people who leave the Armed

Forces make the transition to civilian

life without too much difficulty but there

are a number who struggle to adapt and

need help,” explained Dr Alan Barrett,

Principal Clinical Psychologist and Clinical

Lead for the service.

“Leaving the structure and discipline of

the Armed Forces is a big change and

some veterans find it hard to adjust to a

lifestyle where they are faced with new

responsibilities and required to make

more of their own decisions. This can

create stress and worry, which in some

cases can over time lead to longer term

psychological problems such as

depression, anxiety, anger and drug and

alcohol misuse.”

The service was developed in partnership

with veterans and veterans support

agencies to ensure it meets the needs of

ex-Service personnel. A non-clinical

service will also work with the Military

Veterans’ Service to provide help with

social issues such as housing, debt and

relationship difficulties; all of which can

have a negative impact on mental health

and well-being.

Veterans and their families can choose to

refer themselves to the service, or they

can enquire about a referral by speaking

to their local health professional.

North West veterans’ mentalhealth service launched A new service offering mental health support for ex-military personnel in the North West

ContactsFor more information about the service,

visit www.penninecare.nhs.uk/services/

military-veterans

or call 0161 253 6638.

At the official launch: (pictured from left to right) Lt Col Eddy Carter, Commanding Officer

103 Regiment and Garrison Commander Manchester; Flight Lieutenant Martin Falsey; Clinical

Lead Claire Maguire; Principal Psychologist Dr Alan Barrett and Naval Commander for

Northern England and Isle of Man David Pickthall.

“Most people wholeave the armedforces make thetransition to civilianlife without toomuch difficulty butthere are a numberwho struggle toadapt and needhelp”


More than £423,000 has been given to13 bids from across the country to helpfund local projects that increaseunderstanding of, or support for, theArmed Forces in the communities inwhich they live.

EACH project benefits both the Armed

Forces community and the civilian

population. Encouragingly, these bids are

supported by over £250,000 in matched-

funding from bid originators.

The MOD's Community Covenant Grant

Scheme, launched in August, aims to

strengthen the ties between the Armed

Forces and the civilian community.

Bidders from areas which have signed up

to the Community Covenant Scheme can

apply to the grant scheme for funding.

Up to £30 million over four financial years

has been set aside to help fund projects

that promote greater understanding

between the military and civilian

populations.

Since launching the scheme in August, 38

applications have been received from

groups across the country. Some of the

remaining bids are still being considered

by the Community Covenant Grant panel,

if successful, over £1m in funding could

be issued from this first round alone.

Further panels will be held to consider

new bids in December, March 2012 and

thereafter quarterly. The grant scheme

will consider applications for funding

between £100 and £250,000.

The Minister for Defence Personnel,

Welfare and Veterans, Andrew Robathan,

announced some of the first projects to

receive funding at the joint MOD/Local

Government Association Community

Covenant Conference in November; they

include:

• the Dover Jubilee Tattoo has been

awarded £85,000;

• the British Military Tournament has

been awarded £50,000;

• a garden office for a community link

project in Aldershot has received

£22,000;

• £10,000 was given to Royal Wootton

Bassett for the town's civic event to

commemorate the town's new Royal

status;

• £7,000 has been given to the Swan

Forces project in Wiltshire to develop

services to prevent social exclusion

among ex-Service personnel and

their families; and• £6,000 has been provided to help

Gurkhas in Eastleigh to learn English

and integrate with the local

community.

Mr Robathan said:

"These projects will tangibly strengthen

the ties between our Armed Forces and

our local communities. There is already a

deep respect of our Armed Forces on a

national and local level, and these

projects will help to provide a greater

understanding of Service life and enmesh

the ties between military personnel and

the civilian population.

"The relationship between our Armed

Forces and the communities they're

drawn from is as important now as it's

ever been. We are committed to ensuring

that our Armed Forces, veterans and their

families have the support they need and

are treated with the dignity they

deserve."

Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman of the Local

Government Association, said:

"It's important we ensure that the Armed

Forces community suffers no

disadvantage as a result of their service to

the country. We must recognise the

specific needs which overseas

deployment places on Servicemen and

women, on reservists and on their

dependants. In addition there are

veterans with special needs, whether

these be physical or psychological, that

we must care for to the best of our ability.

"The Community Covenant Fund is a very

welcome step in helping to encourage

new initiatives that build on the already

strong foundation of work carried out by

local government, charities and voluntary

groups to support the Armed Forces and

their families."

First Community CovenantGrants Awarded

ContactsApplication forms and further information

on grant criteria can be downloaded from

the MOD Covenant page:

"These projects will

tangibly strengthen the ties

between our Armed Forces

and our local

communities.”

A Gurkha soldier fields questions from schoolchildren at a biodiversity event on Hythe Ranges. The

Community Covenant Grant Scheme has provided £6,000 to help Gurkhas in Eastleigh learn English and

integrate with the local community


AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/

Welfare/ArmedForcesCovenant/

ArmedForcesCommunityCovenant.htm

“The Community Covenant

Fund is a very welcome

step in helping to encourage

new initiatives . . .”

Pic

ture

: Alla

n H

ou

se, C

row

n C

op

yrig

ht/

MO

D 2

00

5

14

Support to veterans, resident inNorthern Ireland, who formerly servedin the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR)

and the Home Service element of TheRoyal Irish Regiment during OperationBANNER, became a priority four yearsago when the Aftercare Service waslaunched.

NOW, the service is to be continued (and

potentially expanded to help all veterans),

recognising the importance of the service

and supporting the commitment to the

Armed Forces Covenant.

The Ulster Defence Regiment and The

Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service)

Aftercare Service is based at four centres

throughout the Province, staffed by

caseworkers and support staff, some who

are Army veterans themselves. It provides

outreach to the veterans’ community,

advising and sign-posting to other

agencies available to assist veterans in

need. It offers holistic resolution to each

case via:

Welfare - ranging from simple

befriending to full-blown intervention in

issues of bereavement, debt, housing,

benefits and pensions.

Medical - building trusted pathways to

the wider NHS via a client’s GP and also

able to offer immediate referral to

psychological therapies and

physiotherapy for conditions caused by or

made worse by military service.

Vocational - providing career and

employment advice, together with a

discretionary training award for a limited

number of eligible personnel to enhance

their qualifications and employment skills.

Benevolence – assisting in supporting

cases of proven financial need.

A simple intervention

John*, is ex-UDR soldier, discharged in the

1970s as a result of being shot during a

terrorist attack on his patrol. Injuries left

him in continuous pain and he was

required to undergo periodic surgery; the

most recent operation left him

immobilised for eight weeks. During this

time he was informed that he was about

to be made redundant from work.

“My whole future seemed uncertain and a

black cloud hung over me until I heard

about the Aftercare Service and gave

them a ring.”

Caseworkers put him in touch with

Citizens Advice Bureau and he and his

wife joined the Disabled Soldiers Group

for respite activity. As a result of such a

simple intervention, he has learned to

cope, safe in the knowledge that

someone is there for him.

Peter Baillie, The Aftercare Service

Director said:

“We are living in challenging times to

meet potential demand from veterans.

We look forward to the challenge of

delivering the best possible service and

helping people in their time of need.”

*name changed to protect privacy

AftercareBespoke support for veterans in Northern Ireland

“My whole future seemeduncertain and a blackcloud hung over me untilI heard about theAftercare Service andgave them a ring.”

“We look forward to thechallenge of deliveringthe best possible serviceand helping people intheir time of need.”

ContactsTo contact The Aftercare Service

call 028 9042 0145 or visit

www.aftercareservice.org

The Regimental Headquarters in Palace Barracks where the Aftercare Service HQ is based


Glasgow’s Helping Heroes (GHH)provides a one point-of-contact and theservice is free and confidential to servingpersonnel (regular or reserve), veterans,

their families and carers. The eligibilitycriteria are that they must live, work orwish to relocate to within Glasgow City

Council boundary. The GHH projectlaunched in June 2010 and in its first yearreceived 182 referrals for assistance.

CORE FUNDING is provided by Glasgow City

Council, with the service being provided by

SSAFA-Forces Help Glasgow. GHH work

with a range of organisations across health,

housing, social care, employability, financial

services and specialist Armed Forces

agencies. The aim is not to replace existing

services but identify the most appropriate

agencies and enable the client to access the

service as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Clients who do not meet the criteria are

helped to identify the most appropriate

services in their local area and referred on,

for example to the Local Authority’s Armed

Forces Champion, the Armed Services

Advice Project or to Combat Stress.

In addition to their website and helpline,

GHH can offer one-to-one support from staff

who have a mix of ex-Service and

council/housing experience. There is a

drop-in facility at the office based in the

centre of Glasgow but GHH will meet

anywhere that is convenient. Other services

such as the SPVA Veterans Welfare Service

and Regular Forces Employment

Association (RFEA) have also utilised the

office to meet their clients.

In the first year, GHH have helped 49

clients resolve their accommodation

issues, enabled 14 to start work and

realised almost £150,000 of financial

benefits to their clients

David was a veteran who was

referred to GHH by a Royal British

Legion Scotland (RBLS) member.

His father had just passed away and

he had used what money he had

trying to get to Glasgow from the

East Midlands. Having identified

his issues, the local RBLS Branch

gave him a grant which enabled him to buy

a suit and pay for his bus ticket back home.

As his accommodation was in disrepair, he

was referred to his local SSAFA-Forces Help

branch which helped him and applied for

grants which enabled him to make his home

water tight and have running water again.

He was also referred to the local RFEA

advisor, as he was unaware that they could

support his job hunting and to the SPVA

Veterans Welfare Service for a review of his

War pension and a benefits check.

If you know a

veteran planning to relocate

to Glasgow or are already here and needing

help in accessing support on debt, benefits,

jobs, housing and homelessness,

employability, addictions and physical and

mental health, then contact GHH. Referrals

from third parties are welcomed as well -

the staff are waiting to help you.

‘Gateway Model’ aims to improve access to and coordination of

advice and support for the Armed Forces Community in Glasgow

ContactsFor further information:

call 0141 276 7199, visit

www.glasgowshelpingheroes.org

or email

[email protected]

“GHH helped me fill in all

the forms.

I couldn’t do that all myself.

I was clueless. I’m not

being funny but it’s a whole

new world [coming out of

the Army]. I thought you

got Housing Benefit from

the job centre!”

- veteran supported by GHH

Glasgow’s Helping Heroes

GHH provides a drop-in facility at the office based in the centre of Glasgow

16

Contacts

As an Army veteran, it was perhapsinevitable that after completing hispsychology degree and joining theNHS, that Philip Boyes would become

involved with veterans services. Todayhe runs a Veterans Well-being Groupwithin the Improving Access to

Psychological Therapies service of TeesEsk and Wear NHS Foundations Trust(TEWV).

BASED in the North East, it’s one of the

largest mental health and learning

disabilities NHS Trusts in the UK, and is

also a pioneer of veterans’ mental health

services. Philip tells Veterans WORLD how

the group can support veterans adjusting

to civilian life.

“At the time of my joining TEWV,

Consultant Clinical Psychologist Symon

Day had been tasked with the

development of a Community Veterans

Mental Health Service, one of six pilot

services set up by the NHS with support

from the MOD .* The scheme is an

integrated model, instead of a centrally

located veterans’ treatment facility. So

throughout our services, staff have been

trained to work with veterans. The model

ensures that, wherever a veteran enters

our care, a veterans-trained worker, and

mental health specialist in their condition,

will be available to facilitate their journey

through our services.

“Under Symon’s supervision, I developed

the Veterans Well-being Group - an eight

session psycho-education group,

delivered weekly, which uses National

Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

(NICE) approved treatments. The group

consists of six modules - anger,

alcohol/drugs, anxiety, depression

(including sleep problems), managing the

military identity, and employment.

“The subjects of the modules represent

the common presenting problems of

veterans including adjustment disorder.

(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is treated

individually in one-to-one sessions.)

Adjustment disorder is looked at within

the managing the military identity

module. Informed by Social Psychology,

this module aims to help veterans adjust

to civilian life, by adapting their own

identities in an effort to break down the

barriers to civilian integration.

“A social identity is how you make sense

of yourself, based on the groups you are a

member of. Therefore, a strong ‘army

barmy‘ identity can create barriers by

concentrating on the differences between

soldiers and civilians. This can lead to

avoidance of social situations, low self-

esteem, depression and can create beliefs

such as ’I’m different, they won’t

understand‘.

“Today, the group is delivered by myself

and Donna Dickinson, a Royal Navy

Veteran. Group members have told us

that they felt more comfortable knowing

that we were veterans. However, the aim

of the group is to improve mental health

and assist civilian integration, not to

create a reliance on veteran practitioners.

So, we have to tread a fine line between

encouraging the group to engage with

services and creating a dependency or

perpetuating false beliefs that civilians

are ’different‘.

“Anyone wishing to join the group and

live in our catchment area can refer via

their GP or contact me direct. Other

mental health providers who wish to

replicate the group can contact me to

discuss.”

A social identityWell-being group helps veterans adjust to civilian life

For more information on TEWV visit:

www.tewv.nhs.uk/veterans or call Symon

Day Community Mental Health Service

Lead on 01388 646831 or Phil Boyes by

calling 01325 743246 or email

[email protected] For information on

IAPT visit www.IAPT.nhs.uk

* Community Veterans Mental

Health Service was a winner at the

2009 Military and Civilian Health

Partnership Awards

“the aim of the group is toimprove mental healthand assist civilianintegration, not to createa reliance on veteranpractitioners”

Phil and Donna, veterans themselves, deliver the Veterans Well-being Group


New Programmes aim to help thosemoving from the Armed Forces tocivilian life and veterans reviewing theircareer options.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION INDUSTRIES (RBLI)

have been working with the Armed Forces

and helping veterans since 1919 and have

developed a wide range of services over

this time, such as housing, healthcare,

social enterprises and veterans training

and recruitment services.

The latest addition to their armoury of

support is LifeWorks and LifeWorks+. The

programmes aim to provide a better

understanding of suitable work options

and how to access them. Health and well-

being, interests, personality and abilities

are also explored, thus ensuring career

choices are realistic and achievable.

Sharon Patmore, RBLI’s Head of

Conditional Management explained:

“LifeWorks can help an individual in a

manner of ways. It has been designed to

increase confidence and motivation,

identify personal strengths and skills, and

find and understand future career options.”

Brigadier Steve Sherry, CEO of Royal British

Legion Industries added:

“The transition from military to civilian life

can be a difficult one and, for many, a little

extra support and guidance is all that is

needed to point them in the right

direction.

“For those that are wounded, injured or

sick, however, the problem is all the more

challenging and I am delighted that we

now have a programme of support which

addresses exactly this issue.”

The programmes have been running for

almost a year now and has been attended

by individuals from all Services and has

been extremely well received by all

participants. Feedback shows that they

feel more positive about their futures…

Martin McCormack recently attended a

course:

”LifeWorks will give you a good

understanding of where to go, what to do

and how to prepare for it all. It helped me

with interview techniques, writing my CV –

everything I needed really. So it’s definitely

worth doing. I’d say you’ve got nothing to

lose and everything to gain from the

course.“

Andrew Hughes, who served with the RAF,

was also impressed by the course:

“It seemed like it would provide me with

the tailored guidance and training I

needed. Once on the course, the advisors

were absolutely brilliant. They can speak

to you on a one-to-one basis. It wasn’t like

a teacher-student relationship at all; it was

more like a friend who has come to rescue

you.”

ContactsFor further information on LifeWorks:

call 0800 319 6844 or email

[email protected]

Which way now?

“It has been designedto increase confidenceand motivation,identify personalstrengths and skills . . .”

The LifeWorks programmes helping veterans consider career options

On the Lifeworks+ course, students have

the benefit of vocational training courses

(CV writing, interview techniques), real

time interview practicing with

professional trainers as well as the

motivational course ‘Coaching for

Change.’

LifeWorks+ students will also have access

to the high quality facilities including

newly refurbished accommodation.

“I’d say you’ve got nothingto lose and everything togain from the course.”

LifeWorks has been designed to increase confidence, motivation

and help identify personal strengths and skills

Veterans receive support to consider

career options

18

Veterans in Birmingham are noweligible for help and support from TheRoyal British Legion’s Poppy Callsservice.

DESIGNED to help members of the

veterans community to remain more

independent in their own homes, Poppy

Calls offers help with those awkward jobs

around the house, such as minor repairs,

or fitting essential devices such as smoke

detectors and carephone alarms.

In 2010, Legion 'Handymen' assisted over

13,000 people in several areas across the

country and the programme was so

successful it has now been expanded into

Birmingham. The Service was officially

launched on July 7, 2011, by the Deputy

Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Deputy Cllr

Mike Sharpe.

The Legion's County Manager for

Birmingham, Sebastian Hargreaves said:

"4.4 million elderly people in the UK are

eligible for the Legion’s support, meaning

they are ex-Service. Many of these people

find it difficult to maintain the lifestyle

they once did in their own homes and

Poppy Calls enables those people to feel

safe and secure.

“A service like Poppy Calls is great value to

our beneficiaries, especially during

economically testing times. It will go from

strength to strength as it continues to be

rolled out in Birmingham.”

Poppy Calls currently employs nineteen

fitters around the country, with a view to

expanding the service further. All the

fitters have enhanced CRB clearance, carry

Identification, wear a Legion-branded

uniform and drive a Legion-branded van.

Poppy Calls is offered to beneficiaries who

qualify for assistance under The Royal

Charter, which includes those who have

served in the Armed Forces and their

dependents.

Poppy Calls to help the veteranscommunity in BirminghamFree handy-person service for veterans needing help around the home

To be eligible for help, a veteran must have

served in the Armed Forces for at least

seven days, or be the dependant of

someone who has served, and be in receipt

of a means-tested benefit or tax/pension

credit.

Contacts

Further information on the service can

be obtained by calling 0800 032 0306.

Poppy Calls provides trusted handy

persons who carry out a range of small

household repairs and minor

adaptations such as:

“Many of these

people find it

difficult to

maintain the

lifestyle they once

did in their own

homes and Poppy

Calls enables

those people to feel

safe and secure.”

There are nineteen Poppy Calls fitters based around the country and plans to expand the service

The Poppy Calls service can carry out

small household repairs

• Ramps;

• EPV Storage Sheds;

• Replacement taps;

• Lock Replacement;

• Smoke Detectors;

• Grab Rails;

• Door Chains;

• Hand Rails;

• Flat Pack Furniture;

• Carephones; and

• Domestic Electrical Work.


Stoll is a unique community providing

housing and support to some of themost vulnerable ex-Servicemen andwomen. Formerly known as the Sir

Oswald Stoll Foundation, it was founded

in 1916 to house disabled ex-Servicemen injured in the First World

War.

STOLL has evolved considerably since then

and now houses and supports veterans

with a wide variety of support needs from

improving physical health to building

confidence and motivation. Whatever the

difficulty, Stoll are here to support

veterans.

Why is the service needed?

Stoll identified that there are many

veterans in the community living in their

own homes or homeless that need the

support that Stoll currently provide to their

own tenants. With thanks to The Royal

British Legion, The Soldiers Charity and The

RAF Benevolent Fund, Stoll can now

provide support to veterans across London.

The Veterans Support Service works in

partnership with many service charities,

housing providers and statutory agencies

to ensure that all veterans receive the right

help and support they are entitled to.

As part of the service, their needs are

assessed to identify the most effective

interventions and advice needed to help

them to live independently. The support

provided is flexible and personalised,

addresses the challenges faced in civilian

life, clarifies aspirations and goals and

determine effective means of achieving

them.

Veterans in the community can also access

other services provided by Stoll such as: IT

Training, Health and Well-being activities

as well as accessing support from an

Employment and Training Project Officer.

These services provide the wider veterans

community with activities and help that

will promote healthy and happier lifestyles.

Since the Veterans’ Support Service started

in 2010, Stoll has made a difference to over

fifty people’s life, people like George

Higgins . . .

George was a Royal Engineer in the Second

World War, experiencing difficulties. As a

result of Stoll’s intervention, he is now

housed with his own permanent tenancy

and been supported to decorate and

furnish his flat. To ensure he is not socially

isolated, he was encouraged and is now

engaging with a variety of activities in his

local community, such as quizzes and

community meals. He is also now

receiving his full benefit entitlement

including Housing Benefit; and has been

registered with a local GP and receiving

more medical support.

The future

Stoll is committed to reach out to veterans

that need its support and will continue to

develop and promote the service to ensure

veterans can access their help. Stoll will

continue to develop effective relationships

with other ex-Service charities to ensure

veterans get the assistance they need.

Their planned outcomes for the

forthcoming year will see activity double in

almost every area that Stoll presently

cover.

Extending SupportA change in name and a new service – how a charity is evolving to support veterans

ContactsFor further information

call 020 7385 2110

or visit www.stoll.org.uk

Stoll Outreach Support worker Tim Willis-Crowley helping George to set up home

Stoll provides help in the followingways:

• Support to improve physical health

• Support with mental health issues including PTSD

• Support around substance misuse problems

• Improving education

• Help to get back into training and employment

• Support with debt and money management

• Advice on welfare benefits

• Housing advice and support to access housing

• Build confidence and motivation.

20

How many times do you receive atelephone call, open your post or turnon your computer to find you haveunexpectedly won a prize in a prizedraw or lottery, receive a knock at thedoor from an unwanted salesman, orneed advice on money matters,

switching utilities and getting the bestdeals? These can be particularlyconfusing or upsetting for older people.

A community focused consumer

protection campaign funded by Bradford

South Area Committee, being delivered

by West Yorkshire Trading Standards in

the Royds area of Bradford, is aiming to

inform and engage with older residents

and wants to ensure members of the

veterans community are involved.

The innovative project launched in June

and is aimed at raising awareness and

empowering the ward’s older adult

residents with the knowledge and skills to

protect themselves against scammers and

fraudsters, rogue traders, doorstep

criminals and bogus callers.

It will provide opportunities for individuals

and groups to actively participate in

education, training and community

development and will help them to

develop skills, knowledge and experience

to actively protect themselves in their

home and the community.

To build community capacity, the

programme will also include delivering

training sessions to Police Community

Support Officers (PCSOs), Neighbourhood

Wardens, and community workers on

doorstep crime activities, scams and

frauds, providing longer term support

within the community for vulnerable

residents.

The Trading Standards Rapid Response

team will also support the programme,

providing immediate support where

vulnerable residents are involved with

rogue/itinerant traders in their home.

Appropriate enforcement action will be

taken against those tradespeople found to

be operating illegally.

Become a community champion

West Yorkshire Trading Standards is also

looking for community champions to take

part in the project. It is aimed at anybody

with an interest in protecting their

neighbourhood and becoming an active

neighbour. If you are already doing this,

they would like you to come along to

some of their workshops and share your

enthusiasm. Members of the veterans

community are encouraged to join the

project.

Volunteers will be trained as ‘community

champions’ that will be the eyes and ears

of the community alerting Trading

Standards to any localised issues.

Community Partnership Initiativereaches out to older veterans

ContactsFor more information about the

project, contact Suzanne Kitchen on

0113 3939817

or e-mail [email protected]

The campaign aims to inform older people so they can protect themselves in their home and community

Volunteers are wanted to become

‘community champions”


The UK’s leading independentelectrical and renewable energytraining provider, Trade Skills 4U,have announced that their ‘ForgottenHeroes Bursary Scheme’ candidateswill now be able to access financialsupport when they take up the freetraining initiative set up in June 2011.

THE Scheme aims to giveaway £100,000

worth of free training to those who are

struggling to find their feet after leaving

the Forces. This will provide veterans

with practical qualifications in both

electrical and renewable industries to

enable them to carve a new career path

on civvy street.

Since its launch in June, the company are

experiencing a lack of eligible candidates

that have the funds in place to travel to

the centre which is based in Gatwick,

West Sussex.

“We are a national company and have

strong affiliations with the Forces and as

a result eligible candidates from all over

the UK are applying for our bursary.

Unfortunately those who would benefit

most from a scheme such as this are

often facing hardship and have been out

of employment for some time. As a result

we are finding that these candidates are

having trouble covering the costs of

travel or accommodation in order to take

advantage of this free training scheme,”

said Chloe Bennett, Marketing Executive

at Trade Skills 4U.

Thanks to Civvy Street, the Royal British

Legion’s employment support service, a

candidate who is eligible for Legion

support could have access funding to

help support their costs of travel and/or

accommodation as well as other

expenses whilst they train.

“This partnership will bridge this gap and

hopefully enable those most deserving

of the bursary, the financial help to

enable them to take hold of this great

opportunity,” added Miss Bennett.

Trade Skills 4U Bursary candidates will

have the opportunity to train as

domestic installers, electricians and

renewable energy installers and will take

advantage of the company’s first-class

and dedicated training centres.

The first Forgotten Heroes Bursary

Candidate

In 1998, following nine years service as

an RAF Regiment Gunner, Ian Lockie, like

many others, left the Armed Forces in

search of a new challenge. This new

challenge wasn’t without limitations

after Ian, a PTSD sufferer, found there

was a lack of career prospects available

to him. He later found work as a satellite

engineer and then as a bus driver but

was made redundant in January this

year.

Since his redundancy, Ian has struggled

to find work and like many during these

current times, realised he needed to re-

train to get back into employment.

However, the dilemma was what to train

in and how to fund the training?

“Having spent my working life on my

feet, I didn’t warm to the idea of being in

an office situation. I’ve always preferred

hands on work and was keen to seek

training in this sort of area. When my

wife showed me an article of Trade Skills

4U’s Forgotten Heroes bursary in The

Sun newspaper, I knew I had to apply!”

Shortly after applying, Ian was awarded a

place and chose to complete the Solar PV

Installer’s GREEN Package; a 22 day

package that enables a new entrant into

the industry to train as a domestic and

solar PV installer.

After a successful four weeks of training,

Ian, who completed the GREEN package

in July, said

“Trade Skills 4U have been great and I am

very thankful for this opportunity. It was

hard studying again as I haven’t been in

this situation for more than 20 years, but

I have been taught by some fantastic

tutors, who have spurred me on from the

start and made the learning as enjoyable

as possible.

“My favourite bit about the training was

the practical elements in the course. I

really enjoyed getting up there in the

workshops with the guys and building

installations; you really get to see how far

you’ve come. I’ve just finished the course

now, and all my hard work’s paid off! I

can only look forward to the future now,

as I have a new career path to discover.”

The Forgotten Heroes Bursary SchemeTrade Skills 4U team up with Royal British Legion to help retrain ex-Forces personnel

ContactsTo find out more about the

‘Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme,’

visit

www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/pages/free-

training To see Ian Lockie’s full case

study and upcoming bursary cases,

visit the TS4U blog at

www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/

pages/tradeskills4u-blog

“. . . I can only lookforward to the futurenow, as I have a newcareer path to discover.”

From left to right: Simon Weston OBE, Ian Lockie, second bursary candidate Golden

Zimmaestro and Carl Bennett, a director at Tradeskills 4U

22

The National Memorial Arboretum Where our Nation remembers

"This memorial is a special place to

honour our loved ones, to reflect with

pride on their ultimate sacrifice, to

remember them and to see others

remembering them."

The Armed Forces Memorial


It is now ten years since the Arboretumfirst opened to the public and there areambitious plans for the future.

THE development of its buildings, to

include much improved educational

facilities and a world renowned

Remembrance Centre, is planned.

An £8 million appeal was launched in

2009 under the patronage of HRH Prince

William for this purpose.

Situated in the heart of the Nation, the

National Memorial Arboretum in

Staffordshire is the UK’s year-round centre

of Remembrance; a spiritually uplifting

place which honours the fallen, recognises

service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in

our country. The Arboretum, which is part

of The Royal British Legion family of

charities, incorporates 150 acres of

wooded parkland and over 200 memorials

representing military and civilian

organisations in addition to many

individual dedications.

It is a beautiful and lasting tribute to those

who serve their country, or who have died

in conflict, and an ideal space in which to

contemplate. While its role is particularly

important for families and colleagues who

have lost loved ones and friends, it also

helps everyone to appreciate what service

and sacrifice for the country can involve.

The focus, however, is not totally military.

There is a large area devoted to Police

who have fallen while on duty, as well as

other areas given over to the Fire and

Rescue and Ambulance services. National

charities that represent those who have

died in particular circumstances, including

children, and people killed in road

incidents, are also to be found in

the Arboretum grounds.

Visitors to the Arboretum, who are from

all walks of life, now number around

300,000. Over 200 special events are held

annually, many of which are attended by

veterans, making it a place of coming

together for a wide variety of shared

purposes and reunions.

One of the best known memorials is the

striking and award winning Armed Forces

Memorial, which commemorates those

who have been killed on duty or as a

result of terrorism since the end of the

Second World War. It is a magnificent

structure in Portland Stone

commemorating nearly 16,000 men and

women of the UK Armed Forces.

Jenny Green OBE was closely involved in

the creation of the Armed Forces

Memorial. Her husband, Group Captain

William Green, was killed in a Tornado

crash in 1990 just before the start of the

Gulf War, and his body was never

recovered. For her, with no grave or

headstone to visit, the Memorial has

enormous significance:

"This memorial is a special place to

honour our loved ones, to reflect with

pride on their ultimate sacrifice, to

remember them and to see others

remembering them."

The Arboretum is open every day of the year

except for Christmas Day.

Veterans’ parade on Millennium Avenue

The Arboretum is open every day of the

year except for Christmas Day. Entry is

free but donations are welcome.

For more information, visit

www.thenma.org.uk.

email [email protected]

or call: 01283 792 333.

Contacts

24

November 2010 marked the opening ofthe first Veterans’ centre of its kind

north of London, in Newcastle upon

Tyne. Norcare secured funding fromThe Royal British Legion to set up thecentre, and to reach out to those whomost need it.

THIS pioneering centre consists of five

residential en-suite bedrooms, kitchen and

communal dining area, communal sitting

room, training room, sound proofed

counselling room and full disabled access.

The Norcare Veterans’ Centre was set up

to help homeless ex-Servicemen and

women across the UK. It offers help to

veterans who have slipped through the

support net and ended up on the streets

or ‘sofa surfing’, suffering problems with

substance misuse and mental ill health.

The Norcare Veterans’ Centre has

residential rooms as well as outreach

facilities providing veterans with a range

of support services including access to

counselling and family liaison services,

accommodation and specialist services

including drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

The centre has been set up in a converted

private house to help residents feel part of

a unit, providing them with the structure

and community that is such a big part of

life in the Forces. Residents are expected

to stay in the centre for between six and

12 months and will have the opportunity

to eat, cook and socialise together.

The outreach service provided from the

centre gives support to other veterans in

the area and is now helping up to 75

veterans a year. Norcare bring in experts

from a variety of other organisations to

provide the range of specialist support

needed to help the veterans. So far the

successes speak for themselves; out of

their first nine veterans, six have moved

on to live independently and three have

gained employment.

In September this year, the Centre

received fantastic publicity in the shape of

a royal visit from The Princess Royal. As

part of her tour of the region, the Princess

took time to speak with some of the

residents and unveil a commemorative

plaque drawn up for her visit. The

Princess spoke in detail to one of the

residents about his harrowing story and

how fitting back into ‘civvy’ life was

extremely difficult.

With a waiting list that’s growing day by

day, Norcare’s challenge is now to meet

this demand by replicating this service in

others parts of the region. Plans are in

place which should lead to the opening of

up to three more centres in the coming

year.

One Year On The Norcare Veterans’ Centre

The outreach

service provided

from the centre

gives support to

other veterans in

the area and is

now helping up to

75 veterans a year.

ContactsFor further information, call 0191 261

2228 or visit www.norcare.co.uk

The centre has been named ‘Brims

House’ after Lieutenant General Robin

Vaughan Brims, a retired British Army

Officer. Lt Gen Brims joined the

British Army in 1970 and has since

spent an illustrious career serving

across the world. Norcare paid

tribute to Robin with this choice of

name, after all the fantastic work he

does as a member of the Board of

Directors at Norcare.

Norcare CEO Susan Bickerton introducing Princess Anne to a veteran supported by the centre

Princess Anne took a tour of the centre and

met residents

25

SPVA News

Issue 22 December 2011

As part of a commitment within theArmed Forces Covenant thewww.veterans-uk.info website isseeking help in developing a newCharity Hub to provide easier access toinformation on organisations thatsupport the veterans community.

THE aim is to be more interactive and

provide a greater amount of detail on the

services individual charities provide. So

the call has gone out to veterans and

Armed Forces charities across the UK to

provide information for the new hub

which is soon to go live.

The site will be providing a dedicated

page for relevant charities wanting to

publicise their services that will include:-

• Background to the service provided;

• What kind of help and advice can be

received;

• Who can get the help and advice; and• Full Contact details.

Karen Awere from the SPVA’s Veterans-UK

website explained:

“Our website currently has on average 40-

50,000 visitors per month and provides a

really valuable and useful tool for reaching

out to the veterans and Armed Forces

community. We are delighted that so

many charities and organisations are

providing us with information but we’d

like to hear from others – and what’s more

it’s totally free.”

Many big names in the charity sector are

already involved . . .

Harvey Tilley, Assistant Director-Welfare at

The Royal British Legion, said:

“As the leading Armed Forces Charity in

the UK, the new Veterans-UK charity portal

will help the Royal British Legion reach

even more people in need. This key

resource for Veterans will enable those

that need help access an extensive and

broad range of support that the Legion

offers.”

Cdr Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE, Chief Executive

of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society said:

“Featuring on the new Veterans-UK charity

portal will help the Royal Alfred Seafarers’

Society reach out to even more people in

need. Our care and residential services are

tailored primarily to the needs of seafarers,

including ex-Royal Navy and Army

personnel. It will also help us spread the

word about our specialist dementia care

unit for seafarers, the first of its kind in the

UK. Veterans-UK, as one of the country’s

leading information and support

resources for veterans, is the perfect

platform to help us communicate directly

with our target audience and raise

awareness of what type of help is available

to them.”

How can your charity be included?

If you work for a charity or an organisation

providing support and advice to either the

veterans or Armed Forces community,

then get in touch with your details by

sending an email to

[email protected]

Are you signed up yet?Charities encouraged to raise awareness via new online hub.

“Veterans-UK, as one of the country’sleading information and supportresources for veterans, is the perfectplatform to help us communicatedirectly with our target audience andraise awareness of what type of helpis available to them.”

InformationFor further information on the

Armed Forces Covenant visit


AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/

Welfare/ArmedForcesCovenant/

Editor’s Note: You might be interestedin the latest SPVA podcast where weinterview Karen Awere about the newCharity Hub. The podcast and otherSPVA social media products areavailable to access on the SPVA SocialMedia Hub via the Veterans-UK website,www.veterans-uk.info, and on varioussocial media sites such as iTunes andYouTube. You might also be interestedin the StartHere podcasts launched inOctober.

The front page of the Veterans-UK website. The new charity hub will launch in Winter 2011

“Our website currently has on average40-50,000 visitors per month andprovides a really valuable and usefultool for reaching out to the veteransand Armed Forces community.”

SPVA Staff developing the Hub

The regular feature providing you with updatesfrom the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

26

Contacts

The Career Transition Partnership (CTP)has launched the new CTP websitewhich has been greatly enhanced tooffer a wealth of assistance and careertools to Service leavers at any stage of

their resettlement, including recentveterans. Even for those who left morethan a few years ago, there is still much

of interest and extensive guides freelyavailable on the site.

FOR those registered with the CTP, the

site includes a number of brilliant new

features which will help them to

achieving great success through their

resettlement with the Career Transition

Partnership. These are an excellent

addition to the services already offered

and make CTP the one stop shop for all of

resettlement needs.

As a CTP client, if they are seeking a job

within two years of being post-discharge,

as well as continuing to have access to a

local Employment Consultant, they will

also continue to enjoy the benefits of

access to RightJob, the job-matching /

job-finding service on the website.

RightJob is now accessed through the

exclusive myPlan section of the website,

through which a client must now log-in to

their own personal area. If a person hasn’t

used RightJob for a while, are still eligible,

and now require a new log-in for myPlan,

they can follow the instructions on the

website to activate their new account.

Veterans support

For those recent veterans who did not

access CTP resettlement services prior to

leaving, they may still be eligible for job

finding assistance. To check eligibility and

find out more, contact the nearest

Regional Resettlement Centre, which can

be found on the website.

For veterans requiring job finding

assistance at any point of their working

life, the Regular Forces Employment

Association (RFEA), along with the

Officers' Association (OA) and Officers’

Association Scotland (OAS), offer support.

NEW WEBSITE FEATURES

myPlan is the new interactive resource

that has tools to use, that will help a

Service Leaver to manage their own

resettlement and career transition.

The personalised area will be customised

to the individual as they complete their

resettlement journey:

Career Assessment Tools Online learning; five self-paced activities

focus on uncovering values, recognizing

past achievements and understanding

how interests and skills combine to create

key strengths.

Personal Resettlement Plan

Career Objective, Training Plan and Action

Steps to log resettlement objectives and

training activities. This online format

facilitates easy updates and review with

an assigned Career Consultant.

CV BuilderIncludes guidance, templates and

examples to assist with creating a CV that

is tailored to the vacancy being applied

for.

Resettlement TrackerCharts progress on the major milestones

of resettlement.

What else Is new?

Resettlement Guides

These new guides offer a wealth of

practical information on the wider aspects

of resettlement such as housing, finance,

health and education, plus more on career

transition.

They include documents to download,

articles, external links to useful sources of

information and checklists to highlight

key action steps.

Improved areas

Homepage

Now integrated into a single page for all

visitors, it is now the one stop shop for

easy access to all information needed for

resettlement.

Courses & Workshops SearchesIntegrated into one easy search area to

find a course or workshop which can be

saved into a shortlist of favourites in the

myPlan area.

Navigation Pods simplify navigation, highlighting key

information and signposting to related

pages.

One stop shop for resettlement needsThe new Career Transition Partnership website

Keep up to date with the latest CTP news

by following us on Twitter @CTPInfo and

Facebook Career Transition Partnership or

visit www.ctp.org.uk

Noticeboard

Recent veterans may be eligible for job finding assistance


The MOD doubled the Council TaxRelief (CTR) for Service personnel oneligible operations overseas from 25 to50 per cent, from July 1, 2011.

Based on the average Council Tax per

dwelling in England, this will amount to

approximately £296 for an average six-

month tour.

CTR has also been extended to include

Operation ELLAMY, the UK element of the

NATO operation in Libya to protect

civilians and enforce United Nations

Security Council Resolution 1973.

The MOD administers a CTR scheme for all

Regular and Reserve Service personnel

serving in qualifying operational locations

overseas (such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and

now including Libya), who either pay or

are counted for Council Tax or Rates for a

property in the UK or the equivalent

contribution if they are in Service Families

Accommodation.

CTR is paid as a tax-free lump sum on

completion of duty, based on the number

of days in the qualifying operational

location. The process of applying for CTR

for those eligible has not changed.

All Service personnel who own or rent a

private property remain liable to pay

Council Tax (or Rates in Northern Ireland)

on their own property to the local

authority.

Those eligible to claim CTR are all Regular

Service personnel, mobilised Reserves

and Full-Time Reserve Service (Full or

Limited Commitment) personnel serving

in operational locations specified by the

MOD who pay Council Tax (or Rates in

Northern Ireland) for a private property or

Contributions in Lieu of Council Tax for

Service Families Accommodation.

Council Tax Relief

StartHere is an online informationservice where you can search forinformation on help and support

services that are available locally or ona national basis. A number oforganisations, including the Service

Personnel and Veterans Agency(SPVA), have been working with theStartHere charity to provide specific

guidance for the Armed ForcesCommunity.

SPLIT over two releases; the first podcast

features presenter Joanne Lowe

interviewing Jane Gammage, Community

Partnerships Manager from StartHere, and

in a second podcast Clare Ellis speaks to

Harvey Tilley, Assistant Director – Welfare

Services for the Royal British Legion to

find out more about this innovative

service.

Jane said:

“Providing access to reliable information

about the services available to them is a

crucial step to help people get the

support to really make a difference to

their lives. This is what StartHere is all

about and we are really pleased to be

able to make that difference to members

of the Armed Forces Community. After

listening to the podcasts, take a look at

www.starthere.org”

The Royal British Legion had been looking

for a trusted online information source to

help their beneficiaries locate

organisations to aid them with challenges

they may face and StartHere fitted the bill.

Harvey added:

“Helping our beneficiaries find and locate

information to help them help themselves

is key to our long term strategy. StartHere

provides quality, trusted information that

is not easily available anywhere else and it

is very easy to use. The Royal British

Legion has received extremely positive

feedback on StartHere and we aim to

build on this as part of our new strategy.”

If you don’t know whereto start…StartHere!SPVA Podcasts focus on online information service

“. . . StartHere

provides quality,

trusted

information that is

not easily available

anywhere else and

it is very easy to

use. “

InformationThe podcast and other SPVA social

media products are available to

access on the SPVA Social Media Hub

via the Veterans-UK website,

www.veterans-uk.info , and on

various social media sites such as

iTunes and YouTube.

Flyin

g h

igh

: Th

e H

ero

es R

etu

rn p

rog

ram

me

ha

s aw

ard

ed

ov

er £

25

millio

n to

UK

-

ba

sed

Se

con

d W

orld

Wa

r ve

tera

ns, th

eir sp

ou

ses, w

ido

ws a

nd

care

rs, see

pa

ge

4

Documents

Veterans World - Issue 22