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One-year Anniversary

Posted on August 23 2023 at 16:54

It’s now been one year since I took up the role of SVC. It’s been a busy but highly insightful and enjoyable first year. One of my top priorities has been meeting with individuals and organisations from across the country with the aim of capturing the collective voice of Scotland’s veterans community.

I’m extremely grateful to everyone who has given up their time to share their experiences. I appreciate that some of the memories and views shared have been deeply personal, and I hope that using them to inform my work will result in positive change for other members of the veterans community in the future.

I’m delighted to announce that the first of my reports to come out of this work will be published in January 2024. Themed around community and relationships, this piece of work will look into the experiences of the wider veterans community and how well-served all veterans and their families are by existing services and support. It will pay particular attention to the needs of women veterans, of LGBTQ+ veterans, the bereaved and to the partners, spouses and children of veterans and Service leavers – groups which I believe deserve a greater focus when it comes to supporting the veterans community.

Through engaging with groups such as Forces Children Scotland, the V Word, BLESMA,  Military Wives Choirs, Fighting With Pride, the Association of Wrens and many, many, more, I have a wealth of material to work with and I very much look forward to sharing my findings and recommendations early next year.

I also look forward to sharing an update on the Scottish Government’s progress against recommendations from previous SVC reports in September. Carried out annually, the purpose of the SVC Progress Report is to provide scrutiny and supportive challenge to policy makers and those providing services to the veterans’ community. This is an important piece of work which can help to highlight both successes and areas requiring further improvement.

Looking ahead to my second year, I will continue to drive forward my commitment to listening to the voice of lived experience and building it into all of my work. Thank you again to everyone who has welcomed me over the past year – it has been a real pleasure to meet you all and your contribution is hugely valued.

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The projects set to benefit from a share of the £600,000 Scottish Veterans Fund 2026-27 have been announced by Veterans Minister Graeme Dey. The successful initiatives span the length and breadth of Scotland, covering areas such as housing, health and wellbeing, finance, and justice. Having chaired the assessment panel, it was greatly encouraging to see such a strong field of high-quality applications, and I was particularly pleased to note proposals that align closely with recommendations made by my predecessors and me. I look forward to hearing more about the impact of these projects in the coming year. Read more about the successful projects in my bio - Other links 🔗
The projects set to benefit from a share of the £600,000 Scottish Veterans Fund 2026-27 have been announced by Veterans Minister Graeme Dey. The successful initiatives span the length and breadth of Scotland, covering areas such as housing, health and wellbeing, finance, and justice. Having chaired the assessment panel, it was greatly encouraging to see such a strong field of high-quality applications, and I was particularly pleased to note proposals that align closely with recommendations made by my predecessors and me. I look forward to hearing more about the impact of these projects in the coming year. Read more about the successful projects in my bio - Other links 🔗
1 week ago
Pleased to see @thedmws launch its Support for the Military Bereaved Programme, bringing together partners to support families who have lost a loved one in service or due to service-related reasons. Highlighted in my report on Support for the Bereaved Community, the programme is funded by the @armedforcescovfundtrust and aims to deliver transformational change in how bereaved military families are supported. Learn more at link in my bio - Other links 🔗
Pleased to see @thedmws launch its Support for the Military Bereaved Programme, bringing together partners to support families who have lost a loved one in service or due to service-related reasons. Highlighted in my report on Support for the Bereaved Community, the programme is funded by the @armedforcescovfundtrust and aims to deliver transformational change in how bereaved military families are supported. Learn more at link in my bio - Other links 🔗
1 week ago
Congratulations to @lothiansvets for delivering another excellent event for women veterans on Saturday. Alongside comradeship and fun, the event included a useful update from the Female Veterans' Transformation Programme. It was also great to hear Dr Alethea McHardy launching her research project around the health of Service women and women veterans - @herserviceherhealth. Give this valuable project a follow and find out more at the link in my bio - Other links 🔗
Congratulations to @lothiansvets for delivering another excellent event for women veterans on Saturday. Alongside comradeship and fun, the event included a useful update from the Female Veterans' Transformation Programme. It was also great to hear Dr Alethea McHardy launching her research project around the health of Service women and women veterans - @herserviceherhealth. Give this valuable project a follow and find out more at the link in my bio - Other links 🔗
1 week ago
It was a pleasure to meet Service Leavers, veterans and staff at the @barclaysuk campus in Glasgow, where the Military Work Placement Programme is underway. This gives military people an insight into working at Barclays, and provides valuable sessions such as mock interviews and a CV workshop. It was really useful to hear from veterans already employed at Barclays UK and to hear the views of Service Leavers. I was delighted to meet RAF veteran Shona again, who was connected to the Barclays scheme by Officers Association Scotland.
It was a pleasure to meet Service Leavers, veterans and staff at the @barclaysuk campus in Glasgow, where the Military Work Placement Programme is underway. This gives military people an insight into working at Barclays, and provides valuable sessions such as mock interviews and a CV workshop. It was really useful to hear from veterans already employed at Barclays UK and to hear the views of Service Leavers. I was delighted to meet RAF veteran Shona again, who was connected to the Barclays scheme by Officers Association Scotland.
1 week ago
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