Unforgotten Forces has seen charities work together to help thousands of elderly veterans
Thousands of elderly veterans have benefitted from a new multi-million pound support programme.
The Unforgotten Forces initiative has been created by a collaboration of 15 organisations, led by Poppyscotland, to deliver a range of services to former armed forces members.
Support and advice has been given on issues such as access to healthcare, social isolation, respite and transport, along with creative activities and events for those in care settings. The consortium was awarded £4m of funding from the Aged Veterans Fund over a period of three years.
This week marks the project's first full year of operating and almost 2,000 older veterans have received help and assistance in that period.
Scottish Veterans Commissioner Eric Fraser CBE, who launched Unforgotten Forces last year, said: "I know from experience that in serving with the Armed Forces you become part of a large family; leaving that cocoon can be daunting in both the short and long term. It is welcoming that projects are being funded to help bridge that gap by providing both practical and emotional help to those that need it. I wish the project every success for the next two years."
The project's co-ordinator at Poppyscotland, Glen MacDonald, said: "Unforgotten Forces has enabled these separate charities to work together far more closely to help older veterans. The front-line staff now know each other well across Scotland and are very knowledgeable about the services that others can provide. As a result, we now have a much more joined-up approach getting staff of different organisations connected to each other at the coal-face.”
One heart-warming story to emerge from the project was a trip made last month to Wester Ross by four veterans in their nineties who served on the Russian Arctic Convoys during the Second World War.
As well as attending a special ceremony, funding was put in place to allow the veterans to enjoy three nights in a hotel in Gairloch, which they described as the trip of a lifetime.
