Vets on streets shown warmth
TO help homeless veterans survive the winter borough two councillors have organised the donation of blankets, warm undergarments and thermal socks to Rochdale AFC’S Military Veterans team.
Manufacturing friends of married couple Faisal Rana and Iram Faisal have given the clothes and bedding free of charge.
Adam Trennery, who left the Royal Navy in 2016, helped set up the Rochdale football club’s Military Veterans team two years ago.
Trennery said that helping the veterans who are homeless is “something that’s close to my heart”.
He added: “Since I founded the Rochdale AFC Military Veterans in 2019 it has continued to progress. “We run it as a family. “The gifts Faisal and Iram are handing over are greatly appreciated - especially at this time of year.”
The gift follows The Rough Sleeper event that was hosted at the Crown Oil Arena last weekend.
This charity event was organised by the Rochdale AFC’S Military Veterans team along with Rochdale AFC Community Trust, which is raising funds for the Trust and Helping Homeless Veterans UK. So far around £5,000 has been raised.
Coun Faisal Rana, who represents the Spotland and Falinge ward, said: “Homelessness among veterans is a significant, though perhaps hidden, problem. I am very happy that myself and my wife Iram, have been able to broker these garments to help unfortunate veterans survive the winter.”
The Ministry of Defence estimated in 2019 that there was around 2.5million former service personnel living in Britain.
There are no firm estimates for the number of these that are homeless.
But if the Royal British Legion’s long-held estimate is applied to the 33,792 homelessness applications to councils recorded between April 2020 and March 2021, between around 1,000 to 2,000 people with an armed forces background without a consistent roof over their heads.
The numbers represent the Legion’s estimate of between three and six per cent of people with armed forces backgrounds who have fallen on hard times and have no homes to which to go.
But this may be well below the real figure because there are concerns that some homeless veterans are rendered “invisible” by the way statistics are collected.
Iram Faisal, who also represents Spotland and Falinge, said: “The Rochdale AFC Community Trust and Military Veterans team are integral to the area that I represent. Faisal and I like to pride ourselves on supporting the community and so we are glad we have been able to offer these gifts at this time – when temperatures are set to plunge.”
Iram added that “events and gifts like these bring
Rochdale’s community together and help make the town a better place for everyone.”
Their4u funding is available upon request to help raise important funds required to help people in need.
Trennery’s organisation has provided life-changing equipment, surgery, and even helped people access retirement homes.
‘We run (the veterans team) as a family. The gifts (from) Faisal and Iram are appreciated’
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