What a pleasure it is to give an update knowing that two lucky winners have scooped our top prize in the first two months since we upped the jackpot to £75,000.
I get a tremendous buzz from seeing how people benefit. June’s winner, Kevin, and Steven, who features above, both said how shocked and delighted they were to win and what a difference it will make to their lives.
Both generously gave back a proportion of their winnings to further support our work. They didn’t have to do that, but I am moved that they did and thank them.
We closed our grants window at the end of July having received more than 100 applications from charities and organisations that do sterling work helping former and currently serving men and women, and their families. That is the highest number of applications we have ever received since I founded the Veterans’ Foundation in 2016.
There is no doubt that charities need our support to continue to help our armed forces’ community in need. I am always impressed by their work and the benefits they achieve.
Our latest round of grants includes, as always, funding the salaries of these charities’ key workers, so their own fundraising efforts can be concentrated to help those in need. We also funded an academic research project focused on the effects and treatment of PTSD.
An award of £18,750 will enable 25 veterans and 25 serving personnel to attend the first Scottish International Conference on Armed Forces in Society, which is taking place at Edinburgh Napier University from the 22nd to the 28th of August.
The conference is run in partnership with the Scottish Armed Forces Evidence and Research Hub (SAFE&R), which we helped to set up with initial funding in 2022.
There will be research seminars, colloquiums, workshops and public events, designed to explore a range of topics, all focused on improving support for serving men and women, veterans, and their families, as they transition to life outside the military environment.
I will be chairing the Military Arts debate on the 23rd and am anticipating a lively discussion.
We also awarded a grant to Wings for Warriors and one to PTSD Resolution. You can read more about each below:
And finally, we have partnered with the Manchester Half Marathon and have 25 spaces for veterans and their friends and family who may wish to take part on our behalf. All we ask is that you pledge to raise at least £300. Full details can be found by clicking the link below:
