Extra £25,000 to help support veterans and armed forces
A PROJECT which supports armed forces veterans and serving personnel has been given a £25,000 boost thanks to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
Charnwood Borough Council signed the Covenant in 2013 and in partnership with Melton and Rushcliffe borough councils, employs an armed forces community covenant development officer to develop and support the armed forces community.
The grant has been awarded in recognition that some parts of the project had to be put on hold due to the pandemic and will enable the partnership to extend its current work in each area.
Councillor Hilary Fryer, the council’s armed forces champion, said: “This is fantastic news for the project and the funding will enable it to continue with our ongoing work in supporting veterans.
“Charnwood takes great pride in being part of the Armed Forces Covenant and we are committed to understanding the needs of current members and veterans of the armed forces community and their families. They all give so much to our country and it’s important this partnership continues to move forward to strengthen the support available to them.”
The additional funding will enable the partnership create resources for veterans with dementia, encourage more organisations to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and support a new Veteran Wellbeing Hub, which is set to open in Loughborough later this year.
The hub, which also received £60,000 of funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust, will aim to support veteran’s mental wellbeing.
The Veteran Wellbeing Hub will be operated by Loughborough Wellbeing Centre and located at Asha House in the town centre.
It will provide a safe space for veterans to meet, access information and take part in a range of different activities to help improve their mental wellbeing.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge by the nation to acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect. Groups, organisations, charities, local authorities and businesses are encouraged to sign up to the covenant.
In recent years, Charnwood and Rushcliffe borough councils received a gold award from The Armed Forces
Covenant Employer Scheme (ERS). The Gold Award is the highest badge of honour for organisations which have signed the Covenant and demonstrated outstanding support for those who serve and have served.
For more information about the support available to armed forces personnel can be found on the council’s website.