Earlier this week, the Trustees approved £1.1M in grants to go to 50 organisations that help people in need. This is an exciting figure as it is the first time the Foundation has given out more than £1M in a quarter.
The money will make a huge difference to a number of wonderful organisations that are helping members of the Armed Forces community who need help, including the Scar Free Foundation, to help heal better those that suffer scarring from injuries; the Gurkha Centre in NW London, to fund the cost of providing outreach support work for beneficiaries who would otherwise be facing distress or hardship; Anxious Minds, that provides counselling and wellbeing advice, as well as running drop-in centres, radio, psychotherapists and community support in the NE where such mental health support is in very short supply.
I could go on; needless to say, the beneficiaries of these grants range from those suffering mental health issues to homelessness, from unemployment to suffering pain, from losing parents to suffering the troubles of old age. Rest assured your donations to the Veterans' Foundation and subscriptions to the Veterans' Lottery make a huge difference to people’s lives.
Sadly, COVID is still rampaging and the Omicron variant is worrying, making our Christmases and other holidays less joyous. However, I know many of the charities that support veterans will be looking out for those in need and unselfishly giving their time to help. Similarly, members of the Armed Forces will be on duty across the world. We should all spare a thought or two for these volunteers.
Thank you for your wonderful support for the Veterans’ Foundation in 2021; you can see more in our Impact Report here.
All of us in the Veterans’ Foundation wish you a very happy Christmas (or other festival) and a peaceful holiday. Our thoughts are with those who will be on duty - including those in the NHS.
