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May Round-up
Visiting Veterans at Erskine
At the beginning of the month, I was invited to Erskine Veterans Village in Bishopton, where I was shown round the care home, transitional support accommodation, and the Reid Macewen Activity Centre, where veterans and their families can enjoy activities, access support services, and spend time socialising. It was a pleasure to meet the veterans who praised Erskine’s dedicated staff and outstanding facilities, and spoke about the difference that Erskine has made to their lives.
Dumfries Veterans Garden
I also visited the award-winning Veterans Garden in Dumfries, where veterans can relax, make friends and access support. As well as growing flowers and veg, there are chickens, a wood workshop and a new beehive. I really enjoyed meeting members and their dogs and hearing how much the group means to them. The charity recently was recently awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest honour given to local voluntary groups in the UK and a testament to the dedication and hard work of the volunteers who run the Garden.
Legion Scotland Annual Conference
I attended Legion Scotland’s Annual Conference in Dumfries, where I was delighted to provide an update on my work as SVC. It was a great opportunity to hear more about the work being done to address issues and challenges faced by Scotland’s veteran community, and a pleasure to meet veterans from across Scotland and see them sharing comradeship and supporting each other.
Commemorating D-Day 80 years on
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6th June, I was honoured to attend a Commonwealth War Graces Commission service at the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle. In a moving ceremony, the Torch of Commemoration was passed by two Normandy veterans to a young Sea Cadet, to symbolise passing the responsibility of remembrance to the next generation. The ceremony was part of CWGC’s Lighting their Legacy roadshow, which saw the Torch of Commemoration travel from London to various locations across the UK, culminating in a number of special commemorative events at cemeteries and memorials across Normandy.
After the ceremony, I had the privilege of speaking with the Normandy veterans, as well as representatives from CWGC, the War Widows Association, Legion Scotland, and Colourful Heritage, which is raising funds to build a memorial in Glasgow to the British Indian Army.
You can read more of my reflections on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in my blog.
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