News

August and September Round-up

Operation Stand-Up 

I was delighted to see veterans from RBL’s Recovery Through Comedy programme return to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, with a run of shows at the Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. Having formed the Veterans Comedy Club, the comedians took to the stage with performances that were genuinely funny, as well as at times being quite moving.  A huge well done to all involved.

Two years as SVC

In August, I marked two years of being the Scottish Veterans Commissioner. I remain inspired by our veteran community and determined to drive improvement so that all members feel understood, valued and supported. I shared some reflections on memories and milestones from the past year in a blog post, which you can read here.

‘Identity, Purpose and Belonging’ Conference

August saw Edinburgh Napier University host “Identity, Purpose and Belonging: The first Scottish International Conference on Armed Forces Research in Society.” The six-day event brought together military leaders, policymakers, justice and health and social care professionals and academics from around the world and fostered a collaborative atmosphere where participants shared practice, innovative programmes and research findings. I attended a range of seminars, workshops and public events over a four-day period and had the opportunity to meet many inspirational speakers and delegates. I hope that the exchange of ideas will help drive improvements for the veteran community globally and congratulate a renewed commitment from all attendees to work together across borders to support those who have served their countries.

You can read more about my thoughts on the conference and some of the sessions I attended here.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Always a spectacle, I had the pleasure of taking in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which had a nautical theme this year with the Royal Navy taking centre stage and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity as the charity partner. The show is a stunning international celebration of music, drill, and dance. Most importantly, the charitable arm of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will directly support our serving and veteran communities.

WRACA AGM

I had the honour of speaking at the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association’s Scotland and Northern Ireland AGM. It was a privilege to witness the restoration of the beret and cap badge to Lu Tait by Brigadier Clare Philips CBE Lu had been dismissed from the WRAC during the gay ban prior to 2000 and the ceremony formed part of the MOD response to the recommendations of the report by Lord Etherton in published last year. It was a pleasure to meet members of the WRAC Association from all over Scotland (and Northern Ireland) and hear more about the Association’s plans for the future.

Progress

I recently published my 2024 assessment of Scottish Government progress towards implementing SVC recommendations. An important aspect of the SVC role is to provide scrutiny and supportive challenge to policy makers and those providing services to the veteran community, and my annual progress reports aim to highlight achievements while directing attention to areas that require further improvement. You can read more here.