February round-up

Northern Ireland visit

NI 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.

 

Susie Hamilton with Patricia Miralles

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

Pride in Veterans Standard achievement certificate

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.

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👏 Congratulations to the 17 projects awarded a share of the Scottish Veterans Fund 2023-24 to help them continue providing ex-service personnel with support for physical and mental health, financial, employment and cost of living challenges. Pictured is Veterans Minister Graeme Dey visiting Community Veterans Support in Glasgow. The organisation has been awarded £18,536 for its Warmer, Healthier, Safer Veterans project which is providing food, peer support and financial advice to veterans facing challenges as a result of the cost of living crisis. Read more about the Fund here: https://gov.scot/news/supporting-veterans/ #SupportForVeterans #ScottishVeteransFund #VeteransSupport
3 days ago
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Really interesting visit to @combatstress yesterday to meet with staff and veterans at their new Edinburgh Hub. It was great to hear more about their services and veterans' personal experiences of using them. #veteransmentalhealth #veteransvoices #itsokaytoaskforhelp
1 week ago
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I recently had the pleasure to visit Sight Scotland Veterans’ Hawkhead Centre in Paisley and see first hand the outstanding work they do supporting veterans with sight loss across the country. Learn more on our website via the link in our bio.
2 weeks ago
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A Forces Pension Society campaign is encouraging #veterans who may have unclaimed pension benefits to come forward. This could be anyone aged 60 or over who served after April 1975. If you or someone you know could be eligible, get info about making a claim at support.veteransgateway.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/395 #ForcesPensionSociety #ForcesPensions #VeteransPensions
3 weeks ago
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