Veterans World - Issue 22

Issue 22 December 2011

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MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Veterans get the key to the new St Dunstans centre

Service Personnel & Veterans Agency

HELP AND SUPPORT FROM SERVICE PERSONNEL AND VETERANS AGENCY

Residential Home Homelessness Pensions Helpline

Veterans Welfare ServiceSupport One stop shop

Benefits Advice Money War Pension

Service PersonnelRecognitionRemembrance Joint Casualty and Compassionate CentreIn-Service

Ex-Service Medals Armed Forces Day Widows Armed Forces Compensation SchemeWidowers Veterans World Armed Forces CovenantVeterans

Contact us: Serving Personnel: JPAC Enquiry Centre: 0141 224 3600 Email: JPAC@spva.mod.uk Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre 01452 519951

Veterans: Veterans UK Helpline: 0800 169 2277 You may be offered a call back if lines are busy Email: veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.veterans-uk.info

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Contents IN THIS ISSUE 13 Be part of the community

December 2011 Issue 22

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New grant scheme to provide awareness opportunities

16 Making adjustments North East Well-being Group support for veterans

18 Poppy calls A ‘handy’ service for veterans

23 A place to remember The National Memorial Arboretum tenth anniversary

Regulars 4-5 News in Brief 25 SPVA News 26 Noticeboard

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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 of help, advice and support available to the veterans community.

Publication of articles on services provided or developments affecting the veterans community does not mean that they are endorsed by Veterans WORLD or the Ministry of Defence.

For advertising opportunities please contact: SPVA-VeteransWorld@mod.uk Veterans WORLD is distributed to those work in an advisory role.

Managing Editor: Laurie Manton Editor: Clare Ellis Deputy Editor: Chrissie Butterworth Email: SPVA-VeteransWorld@mod.uk For distribution enquiries Email: SPVA-VeteransWorld@mod.uk 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 offers help, advice or support to veterans, contact the editorial team;

by Email: SPVA-VeteransWorld@mod.uk or by calling: 01253 338816 © Crown copyright 2011

Issue 22 December 2011

22-23 3

News in brief Still time to make a heroes return New support for Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said:

Picture: Dominic Holden

“It is important that veterans from across the country who have not yet applied for a grant are aware that the Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme is still open for applications. I’m delighted that we can offer this support and I urge them to apply now for a commemorative trip in 2011/12 to revisit the places they served.”

The Merseyside Royal Marines group received awards under the scheme To reflect the nation’s debt to the British Armed Forces veterans of the Second World War, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) has been awarding grants through its Heroes Return 2 programme. To date, BIG has awarded over £25 million to more than 50,000 Second World War veterans, widows, spouses and carers across the UK. The closing date for applications is January 31, 2012 for journeys until December 31, 2012.

New maps to aid services to veterans A map revealing where veterans in Scotland are to be found was launched in October. The map is based on those aged between 26 and 65, where the greatest need for additional support lies.

The map will be made available to health boards, local authorities and charities to help them plan and deliver their services to veterans in the future.

The map was derived from a Scottish Government study into the health of veterans and shows the concentration of veterans in each postcode district.

Individual residences are not identified to protect privacy. It complements data recently released by the MOD on the area of residence of Armed Forces pensioners and War Disability pensioners. The Scottish Government have also mapped the MOD veterans data and all three maps are available at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/ ArmedForcesandVeterans/documents

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veterans in the West Midlands

Volunteering charity TimeBank has expanded Shoulder to Shoulder - its mentoring project for ex-Servicemen and women - into the West Midlands. This will enable TimeBank to support veterans from the Birmingham area to adjust to civilian life following treatment for mental health problems.

Launched to mark the historic 60th anniversary of D-Day Shoulder to Shoulder was launched in London last year in in 2004, BIG’s first Heroes Return scheme awarded £16.6 partnership with Combat Stress. It’s the first peer mentoring million to over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows and project in the UK which supports this group. Volunteers are carers to fund commemorative visits to Second World War either ex-Servicemen and women who have made a battlefields, cemeteries and other significant places across successful transition to civilian life or who have an the world. understanding of the issues through direct family connections. They provide friendship and practical support Heroes Return was the centre-piece of the Veterans to enchance recovery.

Reunited programme including Home Front Recall which awarded £19.2 million to support UK-based group events The project’s expansion into the West Midlands has been and activities to commemorate those who contributed to made possible by funding of £114,500 from the Royal British the war-effort on the home front, and Their Past Your Legion and Combat Stress’ Voluntary Sector Strategic Future with an ongoing £9.6 million scheme funding a Partnership. Shoulder to Shoulder has also been delighted UK-wide schools and education programme to give young by the support the project has received from Birmingham people the opportunity to learn first-hand from veterans Mind which has welcomed the project coordinator into about their experience of war.

Birmingham Mind’s Mental Health Single Point of Access (SPA), a network that will help advertise the project’s work For more information and details of how to apply for a and encourage veterans to access the service.

Heroes Return 2 grant call 0845 00 00 121 or visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn One of the Birmingham team’s first initiatives is a drop-in centre at Carrs Lane Church in Birmingham city centre every Wednesday morning. There, local veterans and would-be mentors will be able to drop in for coffee and a chat with the Shoulder to Shoulder team and find out how they can get involved in the project. www.timebank.org.uk/shoulder-to-shoulder

The Lifeforce guide

Lifeforce is a guide for professionals working with veterans, produced by Humber NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with Scottish Association of Mental Health. The guide is designed to help health professionals working with people with a military background by providing them with an understanding of military culture and mental health services and issues that veterans may present with. The booklet contains veterans' own personal stories from the local region of their experience of accessing services.

The guide also acts as a resource, listing services available in the local area to act as a directory in order to signpost veterans to sources of support for a range of issues from debt, employment and housing issues through to mental health and alcohol problems. The guide aims to improve the confidence of health professionals in working with military veterans and make engagement for veterans easier and more effective. www.humber.nhs.uk/services/traumatic-stress-service.htm

Dedicated mental health support for South West veterans A new service designed to inform and support service veterans in the South West living with mental health issues launched in October.

The South West Veterans Mental Health Service is a new partnership between Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership 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 care and support to former Service personnel who suffer mental health problems as a result of their military experiences.

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

Online mental Bomber Command Memorial health forum launched Within the first 24 hours of the launch of www.bigwhitewall.com, 600 people registered to use it. Clearly the volume of new joiners demonstrates there has been a need for a safe, anonymous space for Serving personnel, veterans and their families, to share what’s troubling them and seek help without fear of stigma.

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

Among other services, Big White Wall users can chat anonymously to others who may have gone through similar experiences.

The Government has committed £250,000 to fund a one-year pilot of the Big White Wall online support network, specifically for Serving personnel, veterans and their families.

This is supported by a commitment of £100,000 from Help for Heroes for the first year, with additional funding after this The Department of Health has also launched an elearning package it has funded for GPs, so they can better identify mental health problems and support veterans and their families.

The course was developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners as part of plans to improve veterans' mental health services.

It will raise awareness with GPs of the need to ensure that those seriously injured when discharged from the Armed Forces continue to receive the best possible care. It will also ensure that GPs are able to offer the right support to families of those currently serving or who are veterans.

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

Issue 22 December 2011

Picture: © Liam O'Connor Architects & Planning Consultants

Big White Wall – safe, anonymous support.

When dealing with mental health issues, Service personnel, veterans and their families now have access to specialised online help and support.

Designed by architect Liam O'Connor, who previously designed the Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire, the memorial 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 after operations.

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

The Armed Forces Bill Architect's drawing of the Bomber Command Memorial

The principles of the Armed Forces Covenant have been enshrined in law for the first time after the Armed Forces Bill received Royal Assent in November.

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

The new Armed Forces Act 2011 creates the requirement for an annual Armed Forces Covenant report to be made to Parliament each year.

The memorial will honour the 55,573 airmen from Bomber Command who lost their lives in the Second World War. It is due for completion in 2012 when the RAF Benevolent Fund will take over its ownership and ongoing maintenance.

These reports will set out how the Government is supporting our Armed Forces, their families and veterans in key areas such as healthcare, housing and education. http://services.parliament.uk/bills/201011/armedforces.html

Tell Us Once Tell Us Once is a service that will be available across most of England, Scotland and Wales in the next few months. It makes it easier to notify government and your local authority of a birth or bereavement.

From this autumn, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) will become part of the Tell Us Once service. Tell Us Once will allow the next of kin to inform SPVA almost immediately to update its War Pensions Scheme records.

Without Tell Us Once, reporting a birth or death to government departments and the parts of local authorities that need to know means that people have to repeat the same information numerous times.

When people register a death, the service will be offered to them if it is available in their local authority. People can choose to have a face-to-face interview or to do it by telephone.

Organisations notified by Tell Us Once when a death is registered can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/death-tellusonce.

This site will also let you know if the service is already available in your area.

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New St Dunstan’s ce The new Llandudno Rehabilitation and Training Centre now open

the staff enough for such a brilliant holiday and all the facilities were so impressive.”

“. . . 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.

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

St Dunstan’s new £12 million state of the art Rehabilitation and Training Centre in Llandudno, North Wales, opened on September 19, to begin providing first class help and 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

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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

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.”

Contacts If 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.

ntre opens its doors

ary tries out new ci fi ne be ’s n ta ns u tD Wyn Owen - a S help of a Rehabilitation Officer the shaded glasses with ed for Visually Impair

“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.”

Issue 22 December 2011

John Robinson, another St D unstan’s beneficiary, tries out the facilities in the Llandudno ce ntre’s specially adapted gym

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

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New NHS treatment centres for military heroes

Murrison’s NHS prosthetics services review recommendations supported by Government The Government is investing up to £15 million to support the recommendations to improve prosthetics services for military veterans who have lost a limb due to activities 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.”

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.”

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.”

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Eligibility for the services provided by these new prosthetic and rehabilitation centres - 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.

Health needs audit finds NHS supports British nuclear test veterans "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.”

Chairman of the BNTVA, Nigel Heaps, said:

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

An independent audit commissioned by the MOD has shown the majority of British nuclear test veterans feel their health needs are being met well by the NHS.

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 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.

The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Andrew Robathan, said:

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

Issue 22 December 2011

"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, have neverand had cause to the (from l towe r) Billy, Charlie Chris handing use." ‘key’ to Mark Lovatt

"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.”

"This study is the first time that veterans themselves have been asked for their personal response to questions regarding their health and well-being."

Information The health needs audit can be found at http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/ AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/ HealthandSafetyPublications/NuclearTests/ UkNuclearTestVeteransHealthNeedAudit.htm

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The social enterprise with celebrity connections 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 Riverside-ECHG client and former Serviceman Ian Walker - Marco Pierre providing White - Active Serviceman Kingsman Madine from Catterick Garrison vocational World-renowned chef Marco Pierre training and accredited qualifications.

White joined forces with Riverside-ECHG to help launch a fundraising campaign Riverside’s MOD Area Manager, Trevor to kit out their new social enterprise Morris, himself an ex-Serviceman, said: bakery which will provide veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts “When people leave the Armed Forces with vital training opportunities. they often find that while they have lots of very useful team and project management THE bakery will be built at RECHG’s new skills, they need to develop trades that will The Beacon scheme, which neighbours find them jobs in civilian life.

Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and which is due to officially launch in 2012 “We consulted with a lot of veterans about and will be supporting homeless 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 the morality and value of working hard and the stabiliser of routine to help ground people. And there’s nothing more beautiful and honest than making a decent loaf of bread or good espresso. This bakery is a way to bring people together and work for a common cause.”

Marco Pierre White

Contacts The Bakery will be run in partnership with the Clervaux Trust, artisan bakers, themselves a local social enterprise. www.spaces.org.uk

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

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

The fear of stigma and discrimination are two of the biggest obstacles faced

by Veterans with mental health problems, but a charity has launched a campaign to encourage to seek Jock Hutchinson (front)people and RM help sooner.

Jay Hare out on the trail

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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

Contacts Combat Stress is a national charity that provides its services across the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.combatstress.org.uk.

Service Personnel & Veterans Agency

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Injured due to service on or after 6 April 2005?

You may be entitled to compensation from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Call the free Helpline to find out more.

0800 169 2277 (UK only) +44 1253 866 043 (overseas) www.mod.uk/afcs

www.veterans-uk.info

The Veterans Welfare Service 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 are supporting 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 call to 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.

September 2011

For more information visit

www.veterans-uk.info

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

“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”

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.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched a Military Veterans’ Service to provide mental health support to veterans of the British Armed Forces and their immediate family 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.

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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 posttraumatic 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.

Contacts For more information about the service, visit www.penninecare.nhs.uk/services/ military-veterans or call 0161 253 6638.

First Community Covenant Grants Awarded Picture: Allan House, Crown Copyright/MOD 2005

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.

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

More than £423,000 has been given to 13 bids from across the country to help fund local projects that increase understanding of, or support for, the Armed Forces in the communities in which they live.

EACH project benefits both the Armed Forces community and the civilian population. Encouragingly, these bids are supported by over £250,000 in matchedfunding 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.

"These projects will tangibly strengthen the ties between our Armed Forces and our local communities.”

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.

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: • • •

•

•

• Since launching the scheme in August, 38 applications have been received from groups across the country. Some of the

Issue 22 December 2011

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.

"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 . . .”

"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."

Contacts Application forms and further information on grant criteria can be downloaded from the MOD Covenant page:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/ AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/ Welfare/ArmedForcesCovenant/ ArmedForcesCommunityCovenant.htm

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Aftercare Bespoke support for veterans in Northern Ireland

“We look forward to the challenge of delivering the best possible service and helping people in their time of need.”

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.

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

Support to veterans, resident in Northern Ireland, who formerly served in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the Home Service element of The Royal Irish Regiment during Operation BANNER, became a priority four years ago when the Aftercare Service was launched.

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.

“My whole future seemed uncertain and a black cloud hung over me until I heard about the Aftercare Service and gave them a ring.”

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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.

“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

Contacts To contact The Aftercare Service call 028 9042 0145 or visit www.aftercareservice.org

Glasgow’s Helping Heroes ‘Gateway Model’ aims to improve access to and coordination of advice and support for the Armed Forces Community in Glasgow Glasgow’s Helping Heroes (GHH) provides a one point-of-contact and the service is free and confidential to serving personnel (regular or reserve), veterans, their families and carers. The eligibility criteria are that they must live, work or wish to relocate to within Glasgow City Council boundary. The GHH project launched in June 2010 and in its first year received 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.

“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

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

Issue 22 December 2011

For further information: call 0141 276 7199, visit www.glasgowshelpingheroes.org or email glasgowshelpingheroes@glasgow.gov.uk

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A social identity Well-being group helps veterans adjust to civilian life

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 selfesteem, depression and can create beliefs such as ’I’m different, they won’t understand‘.

* Community Veterans Mental Health Service was a winner at the 2009 Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards Phil and Donna, veterans themselves, deliver the Veterans Well-being Group

As an Army veteran, it was perhaps inevitable that after completing his psychology degree and joining the NHS, that Philip Boyes would become involved with veterans services. Today he runs a Veterans Well-being Group within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service of Tees Esk 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

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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.

“the aim of the group is to improve mental health and assist civilian integration, not to create a reliance on veteran practitioners” “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

“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.”

Contacts 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 Philip.Boyes@nhs.net For information on IAPT visit www.IAPT.nhs.uk

Which way now?

The LifeWorks programmes helping veterans consider career options 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.“

LifeWorks has been designed to increase confidence, motivation and help identify personal strengths and skills

New Programmes aim to help those moving from the Armed Forces to civilian life and veterans reviewing their career 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.

“It has been designed to increase confidence and motivation, identify personal strengths and skills . . .”

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 wellbeing, interests, personality and abilities are also explored, thus ensuring career choices are realistic and achievable.

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.”

“I’d say you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain from the course.”

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…

Andrew Hughes, who served with the RAF, was also impressed by the course:

Issue 22 December 2011

“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.”

Contacts

Sharon Patmore, RBLI’s Head of Conditional Management explained: “LifeWorks can help an individual in a manner of ways. It has been designed to

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.

Veterans receive support to consider career options

For further information on LifeWorks: call 0800 319 6844 or email lifeworks@rbli.co.uk

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Poppy Calls to help the veterans community in Birmingham Free handy-person service for veterans needing help around the home Poppy Calls provides trusted handy persons who carry out a range of small household repairs and minor adaptations such as: • Ramps; • EPV Storage Sheds; • Replacement taps; • Lock Replacement; • Smoke Detectors; • Grab Rails; There are nineteen Poppy Calls fitters based around the country and plans to expand the service

Veterans in Birmingham are now eligible for help and support from The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Calls service.

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.”

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“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.”

• Door Chains; • Hand Rails; • Flat Pack Furniture; • Carephones; and • Domestic Electrical Work.

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.

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.

The Poppy Calls service can carry out small household repairs

Contacts Further information on the service can be obtained by calling 0800 032 0306.

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

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

Stoll is a unique community providing housing and support to some of the most vulnerable ex-Servicemen and women. 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

Issue 22 December 2011

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 . . .

Their planned outcomes for the forthcoming year will see activity double in almost every area that Stoll presently cover.

Stoll provides help in the following ways: •

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.

Contacts For further information call 020 7385 2110 or visit www.stoll.org.uk

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Community Partnership Initiative reaches out to older veterans

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

How many times do you receive a telephone call, open your post or turn on your computer to find you have unexpectedly won a prize in a prize draw or lottery, receive a knock at the door from an unwanted salesman, or need advice on money matters, switching utilities and getting the best deals? These can be particularly confusing 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

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develop skills, knowledge and experience to actively protect themselves in their home and the community.

some of their workshops and share your enthusiasm. Members of the veterans community are encouraged to join the project.

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.

Volunteers are wanted to become ‘community champions”

Volunteers will be trained as ‘community champions’ that will be the eyes and ears of the community alerting Trading Standards to any localised issues.

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

Contacts For more information about the project, contact Suzanne Kitchen on 0113 3939817 or e-mail education@wyjs.org.uk

The Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme Trade Skills 4U team up with Royal British Legion to help retrain ex-Forces personnel 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 retrain to get back into employment.

However, the dilemma was what to train in and how to fund the training?

From left to right: Simon Weston OBE, Ian Lockie, second bursary candidate Golden Zimmaestro and Carl Bennett, a director at Tradeskills 4U

The UK’s leading independent electrical and renewable energy training provider, Trade Skills 4U, have announced that their ‘Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme’ candidates will now be able to access financial support when they take up the free training 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

“. . . I can only look forward to the future now, as I have a new career path to discover.”

Issue 22 December 2011

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

“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.”

Contacts To find out more about the ‘Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme,’ visit www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/pages/freetraining To see Ian Lockie’s full case study and upcoming bursary cases, visit the TS4U blog at www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/ pages/tradeskills4u-blog

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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

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Veterans’ parade on Millennium Avenue It is now ten years since the Arboretum first opened to the public and there are ambitious plans for the future.

representing military and civilian organisations in addition to many individual dedications.

THE development of its buildings, to include much improved educational facilities and a world renowned Remembrance Centre, is planned.

An ÂŁ8 million appeal was launched in 2009 under the patronage of HRH Prince William for this purpose.

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.

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

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.

Issue 22 December 2011

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.

Contacts 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 info@thenma.org.uk or call: 01283 792 333.

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One Year On The Norcare Veterans’ Centre

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.

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

November 2010 marked the opening of the first Veterans’ centre of its kind north of London, in Newcastle upon Tyne. Norcare secured funding from The Royal British Legion to set up the centre, and to reach out to those who most 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

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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.

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.

Princess Anne took a tour of the centre and met residents

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.

Contacts For further information, call 0191 261 2228 or visit www.norcare.co.uk

SPVA News

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

Are you signed up yet?

Charities encouraged to raise awareness via new online hub.

“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.” 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?

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

As part of a commitment within the Armed Forces Covenant the www.veterans-uk.info website is seeking help in developing a new Charity Hub to provide easier access to information on organisations that support 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:-

Karen Awere from the SPVA’s Veterans-UK website explained: “Our website currently has on average 4050,000 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.”

• •

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.

Issue 22 December 2011

Editor’s Note: You might be interested in the latest SPVA podcast where we interview Karen Awere about the new Charity Hub. The 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. You might also be interested in the StartHere podcasts launched in October.

“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.”

Cdr Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society said:

Information

“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

For further information on the Armed Forces Covenant visit http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/ AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/ Welfare/ArmedForcesCovenant/

SPVA Staff developing the Hub

• •

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 veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk

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Noticeboard One stop shop for resettlement needs The new Career Transition Partnership website The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) has launched the new CTP website which has been greatly enhanced to offer a wealth of assistance and career tools to Service leavers at any stage of their resettlement, including recent veterans. Even for those who left more than a few years ago, there is still much of interest and extensive guides freely available 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.

Recent veterans may be eligible for job finding assistance

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 Builder Includes guidance, templates and examples to assist with creating a CV that is tailored to the vacancy being applied for.

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.

Resettlement Tracker Charts progress on the major milestones of resettlement.

NEW WEBSITE FEATURES

What else Is new?

myPlan is the new interactive resource that has tools to use, that will help a Service Leaver to manage their own

Resettlement Guides These new guides offer a wealth of practical information on the wider aspects

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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 Searches Integrated 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.

Contacts 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

Council Tax Relief

The MOD doubled the Council Tax Relief (CTR) for Service personnel on eligible operations overseas from 25 to 50 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 sixmonth tour.

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 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.

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.

If you don’t know where to start…StartHere!

SPVA Podcasts focus on online information service

of the Armed Forces Community. After listening to the podcasts, take a look at www.starthere.org”

StartHere is an online information service where you can search for information on help and support services that are available locally or on a national basis. A number of organisations, including the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA), have been working with the StartHere charity to provide specific guidance for the Armed Forces Community.

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

Issue 22 December 2011

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.”

“. . . StartHere provides quality, trusted information that is not easily available anywhere else and it is very easy to use. “

Information The 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.

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Flying high: The Heroes Return programme has awarded over ÂŁ25 million to UKbased Second World War veterans, their spouses, widows and carers, see page 4