War veterans to get £1m of new support

A NEW package of health, wellbeing and social care support for veterans aged over 65 will be introduced in North Yorkshire after the award of a £1m grant.

Community First Yorkshire, a collaboration of organisations across the county, will use the LIBOR funds from The Aged Veterans Fund to provide a three-year service to give greater help to former forces personnel.

Surviving veterans of the Second World War and those who served in conflicts such as the Falklands, Northern Ireland and the Gulf War, all stand to benefit.

Leah Swain, chief executive of Community First Yorkshire, said it was a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of older veterans and to offer “practical help, befriending and the chance to try new things and volunteer”.

Neil Irving, assistant director at North Yorkshire County Council, added: “We have a large exforces community in North Yorkshire. Through discussions with former members of the armed forces we identified loneliness, isolation and access to services as some of the key problems that our older veterans face. This funding will enable us to address these issues and more.”

The grant is one portion of £22.7m shared among ten charities nationally to improve support for veterans.