News

February Round-up

Northern Ireland visit

I’ve just returned from a trip to Northern Ireland where I met with Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner Danny Kinahan, Welsh Veterans Commissioner James Phillips, and David Richmond, Independent Veterans Advisor to the UK Government.

It was really interesting to catch up and share updates on my work to capture the lived experience of the veterans community in Scotland.

We were also invited by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to visit 'Veteran Life: untold stories by the people behind the uniform', a community engagement exhibition at Lisburn Museum.

Presenting the stories of veterans of all conflicts and the experiences of their families, the exhibition aims to highlight the challenges faced by the community and aims to engage veterans who may feel isolated from civilian life.

French Veterans’ Minister meeting

Last week I very much enjoyed meeting Ms Patricia Miralles, French Minister for Veterans, at Whitefoord House.

We had a very insightful discussion comparing the French and Scottish approaches to Veterans' issues, in particular health care.

Pride in Veterans Standard

I’m also very proud to share that the Scottish Veterans Commissioner’s Office has joined Fighting with Pride’s Pride in Veterans Standard as a sign of our commitment to the LGBT+ military community. We pledge to ensure that the needs and experiences of this community are reflected in our work, that the voices of LGBT+ veterans and serving personnel and their families are heard, and that they can access welcoming and inclusive support and services.