Veterans' Services Update

Regional collaboration forums for supporters of older veterans

Unforgotten Forces is inviting paid staff and volunteers who support older veterans in Scotland to take part in its regional forums.  Forum events take place every 3 months for the West, East, North and North-east of Scotland, with options to join online or in person. Involvement with an Unforgotten Forces partner charity is not required.

Contact veteransproject@agescotland.org.uk to sign up to join a Regional Forum. Find out more

Troubles’ Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme

The UK government has agreed to a two-year extension for a Troubles’ victims payment scheme, following lobbying by both victims and campaigners. If you are physically or psychologically disabled as a result of an injury related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, you may be entitled to payment from the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
 
The scheme will now remain open for applicants until August 2026. You can find information and guidance about the Scheme here:
Guidance to Applicants | Victims' Payments Board (victimspaymentsboard.org.uk)

If you want to make an application, or support someone to make an application, you can access the application form here: Making an Application. | Victims' Payments Board (victimspaymentsboard.org.uk)

You can also apply on behalf of someone who was injured, but has since died, if you are the deceased's spouse, civil partner, co-habiting partner or a carer of the deceased.

Erskine Veterans Activity Centre in Forres

We are pleased to see that Erskine is nearing the point when it will open its new Veterans Activity centre in Forres, Morayshire. Erskine intend to open the new centre later this year. See the attached article from more information:
Erskine Veterans Meet Morayshire Community | Erskine Veterans Charity

Forces in Mind Trust Research Spotlight on Veterans in Care Homes

Research Spotlight: Veterans in care homes
Social care often takes second place to health care, and this has been reflected in the limited attention paid to the social care needs and experiences of veterans in the UK. A recent scoping review of existing literature has sought to address this oversight as one of few pieces of research aimed at understanding what is known about the social care needs of veterans living in care homes and what military-connected needs they may, or may not, have. The link below is a summary of this review, looking at what we currently know about veterans in care homes, and what research and service provision gaps need to be addressed. 
Veterans in Care Homes: An International Scoping Review to Inform UK Policy and Practice | FiMT Research Centre

Communities Round-Up

Winter Fuel Payments

Age Scotland and other organisations have been highlighting the harm which will arise from the UK and Scottish governments' decisions to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment for older people to those in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits. In light of this decision, it is even more important that older veterans are supported to understand their entitlement to, and make a claim for, pension credit.

Further advice can be obtained from the Age Scotland Helpline on 0800 12 44 222.

Age Scotland is also gathering signatures for a petition seeking to persuade the Scottish Government to reverse its decision to withdraw the winter fuel payment from most pensioners. You can find the petition here: Age Scotland | The Scottish Charity for Older People

Scottish Men's Shed Open Day

Later this month marks International Men’s Day and the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is facilitating an Open Doors Day with participating Scottish Men’s Sheds to afford the opportunity to reach a wide audience and raise awareness of what Sheds have to offer and potentially reach more men to encourage them to ‘Head to Shed’!

For more information on Scottish Men’s Shed Open Doors Day and to view the list of participating Sheds and their opening times and offering, please visit https://scottishmsa.org.uk/doorsopen

WE-engAGE Project: University of Edinburgh and University College London

The Unforgotten Forces consortium and Age Scotland have established useful links with research teams at the University of Edinburgh and University College London who work on the relationship between arts/cultural engagement and improved health and wellbeing in later life. Our colleagues in the research team are leading a project entitled WE-engAGE.

The WE-EngAGE project is exploring the role of leisure activities (e.g., clubs, arts, culture, sports) and wellbeing, and are looking for participants to join the study. 

Please click here for more information and to complete the short online survey.   

Following completion of your survey, you may also be invited to participate in an online group discussion (focus group).  If you want more information about the research project and/or the survey and focus groups, you can contact members of the research team at: WeEngAGE@ed.ac.uk  

Training & Events

The Combat Stress Centre for Applied Military Health Research is offering a free programme of education and training focussing on the needs and experiences of women veterans.  Further details on these programmes can be found at:  https://veterans.training

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Course with Armed Forces Community content, Forres, Moray, 27th & 28th November 2024.

This MHFA course will be take place on Wednesday 27 & Thursday 28 November 2024 at the Erskine Veterans’ Activity Centre North, 1 Tytler Street, Forres, Moray, IV36 1GZ.

Expressions of interest to attend are invited from currently serving members of the Regular and Reserve Armed Forces as well as the staff of Armed Forces charities, Service & Regimental Associations and other organisations and individuals who support military veterans.

The course fee of £195 includes provision of all tuition, lunch and refreshments on both days, the course materials, additional resources in soft copy and a completion certificate.

For course bookings and enquiries please contact the course instructor Glen MacDonald via Tel: 07871 250654 or e mail glenmacdonaldmhfa.afc@outlook.com

Veterans Tribe Events Calendar