2023 News

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2023 News stories

On Thursday 21st December the Greggs RV held their last quiz of the year. Santa took the afternoon out of his busy schedule and gave them a special Xmas quiz followed by a buffet.
Thanks to those members who brought in some food, everyone had a very enjoyable afternoon.

On Monday 18th December we held our Xmas meal and we had around 50 members and guests from Blind Veterans join us at the Haslingden Community Link, it was a good afternoon and everyone enjoyed themselves. The hamper that was donated by Christine Smethurst was won by Andy Holder.
We would like to thank the staff at Haslingden Community Link for the great food and service.

We were loaned a copy of the original SAS War Diary, the book and series for Rogue Heroes was taken from this diary. We invited our members to pop-in over the Xmas and New Year period and if they wanted to read some of the extracts of this rare piece of the history of the SAS during WW2.
In the new year we are also organising an informal talk by Pete (Red) Riley at the VIC Centre. Peter served in both the Army Air Corp and SAS. Once we have confirmed the date it will be posted on here.

On Thursday 14th December our Operations Manager and one of our core volunteers Darren Horsnell were invited to the Volunteering for Wellbeing & Community Hub Launch at the Gannow Community Centre in Burnley. We had a stand and it was good to meet so many other community groups operating across East Lancashire.

A huge thank you to all who supported the VIC choir on Saturday 9th December at Tesco Haslingden.
We raised a fabulous £400.15
Many thanks to Wendy (Community Champion), staff and customers and Lorraine for helping with the bucket collection. Also a huge thank you to Haslingden Army Cadets who also assisted with the collections. Your continued support means the world to us.

At the start of December we took delivery of our new VIC banners, they have our QR codes for those who wish donate or find more information when we are out.
We would like to thank Professional Workwear by Stitchesrus for the design and printing of these banners, they also supply some of our workwear. A great team and highly recommend them if you're looking for workwear and banners.

On the 7th December the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden visited the VIC Centre to learn more about the charity
and its work with blue light veterans and serving personnel.

We were due to go on a Christmas wreath making day on the 5th December but it was cancelled at the last minute so we quickly adapted to the situation and went to our 'Redoubt' VIC Coffee Morning and quiz and followed it with a homemade soup and a sandwich with cakes, all made by the lovely volunteers at Trinity Methodist Church in Clitheroe.

We launched the new Sandbag Cafe (Longridge) outreach at the Christ Church in Longridge on the 28th November, it was good to see the Burnley veterans coming across to support this new outreach. We'd also like to thank the Methodist Church for allowing us to use their community space as a venue, it has worked well in Clitheroe where we also use the Methodist Community hall.
The outreach has been set up by our outreach worker Steve Butterworth who has circulated posters and spoken to many of the groups around the area for the last few weeks.
We recognise as this is a new venture and as with our other social outreaches it will take a while to become established. It was good to see two veterans who had seen the posters to pop along for a brew and have some banter with the guys from Burnley.

Our CEO Amanda Walton and volunteer Darren Horsnell were presented with a donation from the Co-op today at the Co-op in Haslingden. Other beneficiaries were the Whitehorse Project and the Waterwell Foundation CIC.
We'd like the thank the customers and staff for this donation of £2846.33 raised through the Haslingden, Waterfoot and Whitworth stores.

As with previous years our members were busy attending a number of Remembrance events, this year was the first time our new VIC Standard was on parade in Haslingden and Rawtenstall, we were the chosen charity for the RING OF RED M60 (MANCHESTER) and our van was on the services to promote the work we do, our Administrator Amy Catherine Thompson represented the Royal British Legion on numerous events, we laid wreaths across our areas of operation, some of our members went into schools to explain what Remembrance means, and our members attended numerous services in the local towns.

We heard the sad news on the 10th November that one of our members David Hoyle RE sadly passed away at Blackburn Hospital aged 86.
David served in the Corps of the Royal Engineers during National Service, he was a regular member at the VIC Centre, Accrington and joined many of the social trips.
Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with Maureen, Stephen and his family at this difficult time. We will post the date for his funeral once we know.
REspect David, we'll meet again in the Sqn Bar and RIP my friend.

On Thursday 2nd November we were donated £1500 from the Rossendale Rotary Club, the money is to be used to get some art materials for our bi-weekly art group held at the VIC Centre in Haslingden and for the Veterans In Production project to put a remembrance bench into the Lumb Millennium Green.
The cheque was presented by Bob Smethurst a member of the Rotary Club and one of Trustees.
We would like to thank the Rotary Club for this generous donation and welcome their support for the charity.

Our members have been talking about Veterans In Communities having our Standard for a number of years but yesterday it became a reality...........
Thanks to some funding from the Duchy of Lancashire Benevolent Fund we were able to purchase one, we had a few designs and this one the chosen design.
We want our members to carry the standard and if you would like to get training or are already a standard bearer please let us know.
On Sunday 12th November we would like to give the standard its first outing at the Haslingden Remembrance Service.

On Thursday 2nd November we had a short talk on the history of the Unkown Warrior by Geoff Hutchinson a former Major in the 14/20 King's Hussars and regular to our Clitheroe outreach on Tuesdays and Thursday Greggs RV and Quiz.
The room was full and everyone enjoyed the talk and it prompted lots of questions and was particulary poignant at this time year. We are planning to have more of these short talks.

A day in the life of a VIC homegrown pumpkin at Halloween.......................... Lovingly nurtured by Project Worker Ray Sharkey in the back graden of the VIC Centre in Haslingden, Soup made by Caroline and carved by Chris Oconnor.

What a great night at Throttle Twisters MCC, News & Events rock night on Friday 20th October. A fantastic amount was raised for VIC, £1225.20 was collected through the raffles and donations. A small contingent of VIC members made the journey from Haslingden to show our support.
We have to say a big thanks to Throttle Twisters MCC for organising a great night.

The VIC Ribble Valley Coffee Morning and Quiz at Trinity Methodist Church in Clitheroe on the 17th October was as busy as usual. The Warm Hub at Trinity Methodist Church is now back in action for the Winter season and everyone was very appreciative of some nice home cooked food.

A huge thank you to all who supported the VIC choir on Saturday 7th October at Tesco Haslingden.
We raised a fabulous £208.65!
Many thanks to Wendy (Community Champion), staff and customers and Lorraine for helping with the bucket collection. Your continued support means the world to us.

The Veterans In Communities Ribble Valley Coffee Morning at Trinity Methodist Church Clitheroe was a fantastic success with VIC members coming over from Rossendale and a group of veterans visiting from Burnley Football Club in the Community (BFCitC) veterans attending as a social inclusion trip. The event would not have been such a success without the work of our dedicated volunteer team, Ron Flowers did a special quiz for the occasion including a European flags test, Pat McEvoy did a fantastic buffet and we were further assisted by Aaron Lorimer and Byte Pir Paul and Duncan Phillips
from Knowle Top Studios. We were also visited by the ladies from Blind Veterans UK, Audrey and Emma as we support quite a few veterans who are blind or partially sighted, Look out for further Social inclusion trips and visits to come in the future.

Our model railway club is building quite a following, we would like to thank Gareth who lives in Dunblane for the donation of some model railway building and other bits and pieces.
Thank you Gareth our group will make good use of these.

Over five days during September three Sapper VIC Members were invited to join the Preston Branch of the Royal Engineers Association to go down the Royal Engineers Chatham weekend and then go onto to Normandy.
The main purpose of their visit was to pay their respects to two of their Branch Members who served during WW2; Major Philip Kenyon RE and Spr Gerrard Rogerson RE and to visit the Royal Engineers invasion sites in Arromanche and on Juno Beach.
VIC are in the planning stages of our visit to Normandy next September and gave a good opportunity to look at the sites and some accommodation. The model Railway Club are also going to make a number of Diaromas to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in 2024.
We were very honoured to be part of the experience not only as Sappers but to pay our respects, Gerrard was one of eight Thousand Royal Engineers who landed on Juno Beach and this was especially poignant to all of us who went.
We held a short service at the British Normandy Memorial and laid two wreaths. then visited Arromanche, Juno Beach, Caen and Pegasus Bridge.
We have to say a very big thank you to Col David Waters RE and those involved in the planning of this great experience and to the Branch Members who welcomed us into their Branch.

It was another great turnout for the quiz and Coffee Morning at Trinity Methodist Church in Clitheroe on the 19th September, despite the weather trying to pretend that it was winter. There were a couple of very dubious answers to some questions and some downright ridiculous ones, but our Quizmaster General Ron Flowers was able to quickly square them away without bloodshed.

Our CEO Amanda Walton and Operations Manager Bob Elliott were invited to a meeting and visit at the Hanger 42 Spitfire Centre in Blackpool on the 14th September. As with a lot of the small heritage sites funding is extremely difficult to get to cover the their running costs and help to develop their future plans. Hanger 42 is completely run by a group of volunteers who help maintain the site and work on their aircraft and military vehicles. The hanger is the last one on the airfield that was used during WW2 and they have started an ambitious new project to build an old AVRO Anson using a lot of the existing parts and building the fuselage and wings using the materials of the day.
VIC will include this on our planned trips next year and if you're thinking of visiting a WW2 museum for a few hours then you wouldn't be disappointed. They are keen to work with other organisations to raise their profile and to help with funding bids.
While we where there it would've been rude not to take the opportunity to sit in Spitfire's cockpit.

We’d like to thank Sara Britcliffe MP and her team for inviting Bob Elliott and Darren Horsnell to the Veterans Reception hosted by Johnny Mercer at No 10 Downing Street on the 12th September.
Sara took the time out of her busy schedule to come and meet us, show us around and her team for organising car parking for us.
Although a long day, it was very a enjoyable day and for Veterans In Communities to get some recognition for all the hard work our staff, volunteers and members do to support the Armed Forces Community.

A huge thank you to all those who came and supported the VIC choir in Haslingden Tesco on Saturday 2nd September. We raised a fabulous £373.73! Big thanks to Darren Horsnell, Jacko Pearce and Amanda Walton for helping with the bucket collections. We couldn’t do it without you! And thank you to the Tesco Community Champion Wendy Howarth for allowing us to sing for you and your customers!

On the 23rd August VIC members enjoyed a trip went to Whalley Abbey. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. After an informative talk by a tour guide we walked around the Old House. Beautiful inside and looking out over the ruins was stunning. We had a delicious hot lunch with all home made food by the resident chef. This was followed by a home made coffee & vanilla cake. Many thanks to our bus driver Phil and also Aaron for being a taxi for several Clitheroe ladies.

A huge thank you to our local Tesco Community Champions. Emma Bailey from Rawtenstall and Wendy Howarth from Haslingden have brought us some lovely calorific goodies and a fabulous raffle prize.
They had heard our weekly Thursday afternoon Greggs RV and even took park in the quiz, obviously we couldn't put them in the same team as Laura who is the ASDA Champion or we'd have to have the UN on call.

On Friday the 18th of Aug Project Worker Ray Sharkey was honoured to attend the 100 years Rededication Ceremony for the clitheroe war memorial in the castle grounds as a guest of Ribble Valley Borough Council and Clitheroe Town Council. The event was attended by approximately 200+ residents of the Ribble Valley with some people actually having family members memorialized on the monument which is topped by a statue of a Grenadier Guard. We Will Remember Them.

On the 13th August we had our van and stand at the Trawden Agricultural Show, the show was as busy as previous years.
We were able to give out a lot of information about VIC and what we do to support veterans and their families.

We would like to thank Foundation 92 and the Islamic Relief UK for dropping off some emergency food packs off on the 11th August. The food bags contain a variety of dry food that we can store and distribute to veterans who may be in need.
We appreciate their support and choosing us as one of the beneficiaries of some of the 500 food packs they have given out to families across Greater Manchester that have been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis.

On the 9th August VIC members enjoyed a trip to The Ridges Gardens in Chorley for a tour. The weather was lovely and a blue sky was perfect for some of older members to enjoy afternoon tea. The gardens were beautiful.

On the 8th August after the weekly Clitheroe coffee morning one the volunteers Duncan Phillips, he is well known landscape photographer and owns the Knowle Top Studios with his wife who is also a well known photographer. The talk he gave our members was about their trip last year to Svarlbard in the arctic circle where they braved the elements and permanent daylight to bring back some absolutely stunning shots. Further talks are planned and has offered to give some training on taking quality photographs.

Our first crop of spring onions at the VIC allotment in Helmshore. This allotment is managed by one of volunteers Sam. For more information about how to get involved please contact the main office on 01706 833180.

The Sandbag Café in Heywood was busy as usual on the 1st August. There were slightly less numbers than usual but still a good turnout. For more information on the Sandbag Café please call the office on 01706 833180

Project Worker Ray Sharkey was invited to attend the Remembrance Parade at Gatty Park in Accrington on the 27th July for the 70th anniversary of the Armistice that brought an end to hostilities in the Korean Peninsular. The event was organised by Church and Oswaldtwistle Royal British Legion and there was a good turnout despite the inclement weather.

At the start of July our Crafty Chatters group sent a parcel of knitted keepsakes to Salford Royal Hospital.

The knitted bears are used to provide comfort for patients in hospital at Fairfield, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford.

The bears have been received on the Pam Woods suite at the hospital and a thank you letter has been received to thank those ladies involved for their kindness.

Many thanks to Ian Loughlin and his 2 guest for attending the painting in the style of Bob Ross class on Sunday 30th July. There was some amazing work turned out as you can see on the pictures. Unexpected guest Graham Limb who joined in for only his second painting. If you would like more information on the classes please call 01706 833180 and ask for Darren. We hold these normally on the last weekend of the month.

On the 26th July VIC members enjoyed a lovely warm sunny day at Embsey &Bolton Abbey steam railroad. A great trip there with Philip Chamberlain the driver. After lunch in the café we were entertained by John our piper for the day. We took the short ride to Embsey station and John followed us there. Then it was back to Bolton Abbey station. It was a great day and got back to Haslingden mid afternoon.

On the 18th July VIC members from Clitheroe and Haslingden visited Whitehough activity centre. Our hosts were Burnley Football vets. We were also joined by Shark Forces. They are the veterans from Sale Sharks. We had a great time walking around or planting seeds or enjoying a cup of tea and a biscuit. We were limited in what we could do as the weather forced us inside. We had a lovely buffet lunch supplied by Burnley followed by a quiz.

On the 12th July VIC members went to the Hot Ice Show in Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The show was absolutely fantastic and was enjoyed by everyone. A big thanks to our driver Darren Horsnell who also organised our “Chippy Tea” before returning back. It was a great day out.

Some of the VIC members from Heywood enjoyed a rather blustery 8 mile walk from the White House at Littleborough on the 6th July. As usual a lot of laughs and good company.

VIC were invited to attend the 'Steer Your Career ' event on the 5th July at Jobcentre Plus Blackburn for Department for Work and Pensions - DWP where we were visited by up to 1500 Jobseekers who came to find work and support opportunities.
Our project workers Ray Sharkey and Steve Butterworth were on hand to support any veterans who called into the event.

On the 4th July Veterans In Communities Ribble Valley (The Redoubt) were visited at their Tuesday Coffee Morning by Lt Col Martin Newman to give the group a talk about 'British Jews In The First World War' (We Were There Too), which proved to be very interesting and informative about the participation of the Jewish community in the transformative war.

On the 28th June VIC Members enjoyed a visit to the the Leyland Commercial Vehicle Museum following by a lovely lunch at the café at St Catherine’s Hospice. The museum had lots of great memories for everyone. The tour guides were very good and patient with all our questions. Many thanks to Jacko Pearce being our driver for the day.

At the end of June we received some really exciting news. We have been chosen to be the designated charity for this years Ring of Red ride. We were last chosen in 2017 and the experience was fantastic.
Last year thousands of motorbikes met at Birch Services on the M62 and rode around the M60 raising money to support a local charity.
If you want to keep updated or see what they do then please look at their group. RING OF RED M60 (MANCHESTER). https://www.facebook.com/groups/414246058708355

Members of the VIC team attended a number of Armed Forces Day flag raising ceremonies on Monday. Our CEO Amanda Walton and Operations Manager were invited to the Preston County Hall for a short service and then to a reception in the County Hall. Our Admin Amy Thompson carried one of the RBL Standards at the County Hall. Ray Sharkey, some of our Trustees and members attended the Rawtenstall ceremony , Haslingden and Clitheroe.

On Sunday 18th June VIC had our stand at the Burnley Uniformed Services Day at Townley Park in Burnley. It was a great day and the stand included the Army Reserves, other Armed Forces Charities, Blue Light Services and many more.
The day finished with the Army Tigers Parachute Team jumped into park.

On Sunday 11th June we had a stand at the Bury AFC fun day at Unsworth Cricket Club. A very warm day and quite well attended. Last year Bury AFC presented a cheque to VIC for money raised during remembrance.

On Saturday 10th June we were invited by Hyndburn Fire and Rescue Service to their Charity Car Wash at Hyndburn Fire Station where they offered to split the donations with VIC. The Other proceeds will be going to the The Fire Fighters Charity, and a big thank you must go to the Imperial Alliance Costume Group who attended to help raise funds for both organisations. A big shout must also go to the general public who attended to make the day a great success in such baking heat.

A huge thank you to everyone who came to listen and support the VIC choir on Saturday 10th June at Asda in Rawtenstall. We raised the grand total of £420.94
Thanks go to the choir with such wonderful voices, the staff and customers of Asda, Asda Community Champion Laura and our wonderful collectors Jacko Pearce, Barnesy and Charlotte Harding.
Thanks to Gaztyke Photography for the photos.

One of our members Darren Horsnell had an idea in 2022 to organise a Carp Angling Completion. Darren has been a keen Carp angler for many years and has fished a great many lakes in England and France, with his son Barry Horsnell they planned a charity angling competition to raise money for VIC. Barry wanted to give something back to VIC in appreciation for all the support we have given his dad over the last ten years. The first event was held over 48 hours on the 6th and 7th June 2023 at the https://www.linear-fisheries.co.uk.

Carp legend Lee Jackson attended and one of long standing member Graham Limb helped me out with the Logistics and BBQ. We managed to raise £2540 for VIC. On top of that Barry has also paid a deposit for next years venue.[More information and pictures]

At the beginning of June we took the opportunity to get into the back yard of the VIC Centre, skip delivered and filled up with all the rubbish, old planters, and scrap wood that we had accumulated over the winter months. Work started on the new wood store for our longer pieces of wood.
What a transformation and this is down to Jacko Pearce, Willie and Saul who have worked extremely hard. There is still a bit to do but we’re getting there now.

On Friday 2nd June we had a visit from Mickie and Emily from Sale Sharks who are keen to work with VIC. We are looking forward to getting a group down from Haslingden to one of their activities in the near future.

On the 1st June we had a another full house at the Greggs RV at the VIC Centre in Haslingden. We had three new members join them, at this rate we'll need a bigger room.

On the 27th May the Model Railway club members completed last of the arches was cast, the timber in the picture is to secure the pillars to the base, and form the scenic bit, it wont be seen on the finished part, we have been led to believe it is the biggest model bridge in the country.

At the end of May our Veterans In Production team dropped off some planters to the Helmshore Textile Museum in time for their open day on the 10th June. It was a pleasure to make them.

On the 26th May we have started to extend the working area around the shed, so we have some covered space when it rains. We hope to complete by the end of June along with a new shed roof as the shed was built in 2015 and was in need of some remedial work.

On the 25th May the new Mayor of Rochdale visited the Rochdale Veterans outreach at the Riverside in Rochdale. He was very interested in the work we do, and even more interested when Steve Butterworth found out he was the only representative of the Senior service present.

The garden bed at the Cenotaph, Rawtenstall (Sparrow Park), has now been weeded and turned over ready for hoeing and planting. This year's theme will be the 70th. anniversary of the Korean war.

On the 20th May we had another cake stall at the Vintage and Craft Fair at the Unitarian Church in Rawtenstall. Our members made a selection of cakes and these were sold to raise £215 for VIC. Thanks to Amanda, Amy, Millie and Gill on the day and all our members who baked the cakes to sell.

On the 19th May our Operations Manager was invited to the opening of the new shed at Beacon Dementia and Wellbeing at The Whitaker in Rawtenstall. One of our volunteers Phil Speddy is leading on the Dementia shed and wish him the very best in this role, and we have offered our continued support with this great venture.

On the 19th May VIC members enjoyed another trip, they visited Heskin Hall. There were antiques for sale everywhere. The owner of the Hall gave us a talk about the history of the place. Afterwards we were served a wonderful lunch of sandwiches and cake. It was a lovely warm sunny day. Thanks to Phil Chamberlain for driving.

On the 16th May VIC had a stand at the Mental Health Connect event in Rossendale. Thanks Amanda and Bev for helping out on the stand on the evening.

We would like to say a big thank you to Paul from Huncoat who has donated some Carp Fishing gear on the 15th May for our members to use.
Paul is a regular at our Accrington Drop-in on Friday.

After the visit to the VIC Centre by the Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt and Sara Britcliffe MP last month, we got mentioned not only once but twice in the Houses of Parliament on the 10th May.
https://www.facebook.com/saraalicebritcliffe/videos/246027111235238

Our VIC Choir were performing at the Tesco's in Haslingden on Sunday 7th May. We would like to thank the staff, customers and VIC members for their generosity in the donations and their time on a Sunday afternoon.
We raised the grand total of £265.54

On Saturday 6th May, we opened the VIC centre in Haslingden for some of our members to celebrate the Kings Coronation. Our members were able to watch the Coronation and parade on TV, have something to eat from a buffet and spend the morning and afternoon with other members who would've been at home on their own.
It was a great day and good company.

We're almost at the 'tidy' stage at the allotment and we're definitely at the 'planting out' and 'growing madly' stages! Even if half of the seedlings mature into veg, fruit and flowers, we'll have a good crop.
Well done Sam, it's looking great. [For more pictures of the progress this year]

The Clitheroe 'Redoubt' was slightly smaller in numbers on the 2nd May, but still a healthy 13. It was good to see our resident quiz master without his crutches.

Another great painting in the style of Bob Ross class on the 30th April. Thanks you all for coming. Hope you enjoyed it and hope to see you all again in July.
On this class four out of five have never painted before and a good mix between veterans and blue light services.

VIC members enjoyed a bimble around Todmorden on the 27th April. For more information on the next Bimbles please contact Darren Horsnell on 01706 833180

On Friday 21st April we held an open day at the Accrington veterans drop-in, we had a great response and estimated 50 came along, we invited the Hyndburn Deputy Mayor Councillor Terry Hurn with the Mayoress his wife Jean. We had some great feedback and they could see the Model Railway Club and hear about how the drop-in makes a difference to their lives.

Our Project Worker Bev Fowler had a stand at the Support and Services Exhibition for disabilities and over 55's at the Lighthouse Project in the Arndale Centre Middleton on Friday 21st April.
It was good to see so many groups in one place supporting this group of people, as COVID put a stop to all the planned exhibitions and Information days.

We had a busy day at the Centre in Haslingden on the 20th April. In addition to the regular afternoon Greggs and quiz, we had a few members outside working on planter and bin store.
Aaron Lorimer was making a bin store with a small planter on top, and Willie and Saul started making a planter for Helmshore Textile Museum.

On Thursday 21st April, our members enjoyed a bimble around the Dunsop Valley. We now organise two types of walks from the Centre in Haslingden, a short bimble led by Darren Horsnell and a longer more strenuous walk led by Ivy Limbrick.
To join any of these walks and find out more please contact the office on 017096 833180.

Picture by Graham Limb.

A huge thank you to everyone who came to listen and support the VIC choir on Saturday 15th April at Asda in Rawtenstall. We raised a fantastic £301.89.
Thanks go to the choir with such wonderful voices, the staff and customers of Asda, the Community Champion Laura Saxton and our wonderful collectors - Pat McEvoy, Steve Butterworth and Amanda Walton.

On Friday 14th April the VIC Centre had a visit from Penny Mordaunt MP (Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons) along with Sara Britcliffe MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, Cllr Laura-Beth Thompson (Rossendale BC) and Cllr Steven Smithson (Hyndburn BC).
Penny, whose father served in the Parachute Regiment was very interested in what VIC does and how we help and support those who have served. They spent over an hour talking to some of our staff, volunteers and VIC members about our different projects and how they share their skills, knowledge and experience to help one another. To save lives and to change lives.

On Friday 14th April some of members enjoyed a trip over to the Carnforth Heritage Centre. After an interesting tour around we all sat down to a delicious lunch in their café.

For more information on future trips please contact Pat McEvoy on 01706 688180.

There has been some great work going on at the allotment over the last couple of weeks. The beetroot growing as instructed and more will be planted in the next few weeks.

If you would like to get involved please contact Sam on the office number 01706 833180.

Our oldest member Bernard Munton celebrated his 100th birthday on the 10th April, Bernard has been a member of the Sandbag Café for a number of years.
Bernard had a small party at the Sandbag Café with all the members he sees each week and a larger party was held where a brass band played for him. He even met Rishi Sunak when he came up to Burnley.
Happy birthday Bernard.

Pictures by Kathryn Hornby

At the beginning of April the bulbs that were planted earlier are starting to come through and the greenhouse plants will soon ready to plant in the main allotment beds.

Taken at number one Riverside on Thursday 30th march . Veterans outreach team. Myself and Tony Woolfenden Dave Barber RBL and Brian, Maurice and James, Rochdale Para association, with the Mayor of Rochdale in one of his last photo calls before the end of his term of office.

Veterans In Communities have joined the increasing number of veterans organisations joining the' Pride in Veterans Standard (PiVS)' that recognise the contribution they have and make to the Armed Forces.
Fighting with Pride are a charity we are working with on the Veteran Places Pathways and People (VPPP) programme. We are in the process of organising a training session run by Fighting With Pride for our outreach and volunteers team in supporting the LGBT+ community.

Another great bimble on the 30th March. This time we went anti clockwise at Jumbles country park reservoir. We also enjoyed a lovely bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee at the Jumbles café. We also found some interesting rock painting on our way round.

On Wednesday 29th March we had an interesting session on Cyber Security Awareness from Charlie at the Cyber Crime Unit, giving useful advice and awareness on how to keep your online accounts safe and secure online. We will be offering this session to our outreach venues across East Lancashire and Greater Manchester. You can find them on twitter on @LancsFraudCyber

On Friday 17th March we had Steve and John have from Healthwatch Lancashire who champion your views about health services and priorities in Lancashire call in to our Accrington veterans drop-in.
We allowed them to use the shop front to have their outreach where they gave information and advice to passers by.

Our resident quiz master Ron Flowers returned to rightful position at the Greggs RV in Haslingden on the 16th March. He's been showing off his new black boot, that I have to say he hadn't bulled up for his comeback.
Apparently the group had missed him, and Raymond Sharkey and Bob didn't quite live up to their expectations.
Welcome back Ron

Over the next few weeks we are replacing carpets and flooring in the VIC Centre in Haslingden, so we took the opportunity to take a picture of the mural in its full glory without the tables and chairs.

On Thursday 16th March a few hardy walkers went for a walk around around Owd Betts taking in the Hidden and Cheeseden Valleys. Bit muddy underfoot and of course the occasional shower

It was another great day at the VIC Ribble Valley Coffee morning held at Trinity Methodist Community Hub in Clitheroe, smaller number than normal but the weather wasn't great, but still time to play a game of indoor curling, the regular quiz by Ron Flowers the homemade scones after the soup and sandwich were sublime.

On Saturday 11th March Darren Horsnell and four members of VIC enjoyed a walk around around Norden Reservoir

We would to thank all those who took part in the Peel Tower abseil challenge on Sunday 4th March. We had 9 who took part in the abseil and were cheered by some of their families and VIC members. The youngest was teenager Chris Masters, while member of Veterans In Communities and singer with the VIC Choir Ann Wilkinson, 74, was the most senior. She even sang Mickey Mouse on the top of the tower as she waited to descend.
One new VIC member Tony Doherty, a retired police officer and Royal Corps of Signals veteran, raised £650.
VIC Chief Executive Amanda Walton said: “We were very generously offered places on the abseil by Challenge the Wild and I would personally like to thank them as it was really kind to think of VIC.
“I was delighted that we had a lot of support from VIC members across the board, staff, volunteers, trustees, supporters and family members.”
It was very cold on top of Holcombe Hill, but from the top of the tower, the abseilers enjoyed panoramic views over Ramsbottom towards a misty Manchester and across to Darwen’s Jubilee Tower.
Pictures by Catherine Smyth

We had some Lancashire Police officers join us on Thursday 2nd March before the regular Greggs RV and quiz to talk about the Herbert Protocol.
The Herbert Protocol is a simple risk reduction tool used in the event of an adult with poor memory or suffering with dementia that goes missing. The Police will take some personal information about the person, the medication they might be on, places that hold specific memories, contact details of family or friends. In the event of them going missing or be found in a distressed state they can be reunited or taken to a safe space.

On Thursday 2nd March we had the regular Greggs RV but with a slight twist. We had two quiz masters; Ron Flowers via Zoom giving the questions and Raymond Sharkey in the room to read the questions if needed. It went well and everybody was pleased to see Ron back in his rightful place.

We would to thank Wrong Fuel Wizard to coming to our aid on the 1st March. Unfortunately we had a volunteer top up our minibus up with petrol and contaminated the fuel so the tank had to be drained. Peter the owner of Wrong Fuel Wizard came out in person and sorted the problem. Great service and we can't thank them enough for the prompt action. #wrongfuelwizard

The art group on Tuesday 28th February was busy has regular members attending each week, the paintings being produced are great and some will be on display in the Accrington Veterans Drop-in in the near future.

VIC held another Bob Ross style painting class on the 26th February. The class was full and great to see such a wide age group. The youngest member was a young lady at Nine and the oldest was David Christian at quite a bit older! Thanks so much to all those who came and made it an enjoyable creative day. Hope to see you all again soon.

A good last couple of weeks of February at the allotment. Donated tiny greenhouse up and filled. Lots of seeds planted, including pansies, thyme, sage, sunflowers, carrots, peas, and a few more I can't remember! Soil moved to new bed, fruit bushes transplanted into it.
Oh, and not forgetting the bulbs sprouting nicely, as is the rhubarb.

Great work Sam

Over the past few weeks of February attendance was been great by the Veterans Of the Ribble Valley to their Coffee Morning at Trinity Methodist Church and Community Hub, Clitheroe and we have been visited by a number of organisations Including Age UK Lancashire and their Digital Health Navigators Allison and John who will be attending regularly to upskill individuals on the use of digital equipment, one to one or in groups. We were also visited by Yaseen Patel Lancashire County Council Community Projects Officer who was making enquiries from the veterans about their everyday experiences and lives. We also get fed soup and sandwiches by the lovely team at Trinity Community Living Room warm Hub after our Coffee Morning every week, Hussah to you all.

Outreach worker Steve Butterworth is back at One Riverside in Rochdale, where it all started before COVID. The information stand is shared between the Royal British Legion and VIC, they set up the stand after the Rochdale Armed Forces Breakfast Club in Rochdale.

Project worker Bev Fowler set up an information stand at the Nye Bevan Health Centre in Rochdale. This is one of many planned across the year to meet veterans accessing the services at the Health Centre across Heywood Middleton and Rochdale.

VIC went on our first official 'bimble walk' on the 23rd February over the third Reservoir, off Grane Rd. After the walk we went for a nice coffee at clough head café for a nice brew and chat in the sunshine.
The next walk is on Thursday 9th March, leaving VIC at 10 am Sharpe. All walks are designed for the less abled walkers amongst us and will usually take place on level ground over a maximum distance of 2.5 miles.
For more information on future 'bimbles' please contact Darren Horsnell om with 01706 833180 or email darrenhorsnell@vic.org.uk

Weather couldn't have been nicer for the 7 mile walk from Burrs Country Park, Bury on the 23rd February. Excellent company as always. Along the walk we saw the memorial to Rifleman G S Peachment, a local lad, who was one of eight 18 year olds that received the Victoria Cross during WWI

Our CEO Amanda Walton and Operations Manager Bob Elliott were invited to the Armed Forces Covenant being signed by Major SJ Tickle of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment and the Principal and CEO Lisa O'Loughlin of Nelson College on the 22nd February.
We are looking forward to be working with Lancashire Adult Learning and Nelson College in the future.

On Saturday 4th February we hosted a meeting between Matthew Lambert from the REME Association, Recovery Mechanics Association Branch and Jack Riley a D-Day veteran. Jack too was a Reccy Mech and they had a ball talking shop about equipment they used and among other things how Jack found himself to be in the REME, as he put it "We were asked if we could use a spanner, then marched across the road, up a hill and we were in the REME". We were joined in the meeting by two local REME retired officers Lt Col Stewart Howells MBE and Maj Mark Ferguson who were delighted to have the chance at having a chat with an 'Original' and 'Founding Member' who was on the beaches almost eighty years ago. Arte et Marte.

On the 1st of February there was a good turnout at the Ribble Valley Coffee Morning AKA the 'Redoubt' held at Trinity Methodist Church and Community Hub, Clitheroe, our resident quiz master Ron Flowers is currently on 'Sick Parade' so the Project Worker Ray Sharkey took the quiz.
We were also Joined today by another Project worker Gill Hughes who also wears another hat as she works to raise awareness about Bowel Cancer and the screening programme that is run by the NHS.

On Tuesday 24th January our Operations Manager Bob Elliott attended a course run by two of the GMP Hostage, Crisis and Negotiation team, Craig & Johnny delivered an excellent course and gave an insight into the techniques they use when attending suicide situations and how they defuse the situation to save that persons life. The techniques and information was very useful to front line staff or volunteers working in those positions where they may come into contact with veterans in crisis. Thanks to Inspector Jim Jones BEM for organising the course.

Another busy morning at the Sandbag Café in Heywood on the 24th January.
The winner of the Xmas hamper donated by the Bury Borough Veterans Association was won by Derek.

It was another good turnout at the VIC 'Redoubt' Coffee Morning at Trinity Methodist Church and Community Hub, Clitheroe on the 24th January, where we had some changes to our regular general knowledge testing from Ron Flowers our quizmaster because he has had to go see the MO.

Our CEO Amanda Walton and BBO Project worker Gill Hughes set up for Selnet (Social Enterprise Lancashire Network) Social Business Expo 2023 at Blackburn Cathedral on the 17th January.

Sam one of our volunteers who has taken over the allotment has been busy over the Xmas and New Year period. The allotment has been transformed although there is a lot work still to do.
The allotment is attracting a lot of birds and if you'd like to get involved in the allotment please contact the office on 01706 833180

A very worthwhile day and great to meet the partners on VPPP again on the 10th January. Thanks Armed Forces Community HQ CIC for the updates and hospitality. Great catering as well, can't go to Wigan without having a pie or two.......

The first Clitheroe Veterans In Communities Coffee Morning at Trinity Methodist Church and Community Hub, on the 10th January. It was good to see so many back after the Xmas and New Year. Another quiz by Ron Flowers which was challenging as always. We were joined yesterday by PCSO Ailsa Gill from Ribble Valley Police who joined us afterwards to attend the Community Living Room at the same location at 1200hrs to meet and chat with the attendees who enjoyed a free sandwich and Soup.
The VIC Coffee Morning takes place every Tuesday morning at Trinity Church and starts at 1000hrs to 1200hrs and all former military and Blue Light personnel and their friends and family are welcome to attend.

VIC members, families, friends and members of the Veterans Living History museum paid their last respects to Lewis Banham on the 4th January at Burnley Crematorium.
He served in the Royal Signals as a dispatch rider and landed on D-Day.
The family requested standards and guard of honour, Royal Signal Bikers and piper Steve Sumner piped him on his final journey.