How it all started
Veterans In Communities (VIC) was launched in September 2012 in Rossendale. The initial concept was to support serving as well as ex-service personnel, their families and members of the emergency services who were experiencing difficulties with transitioning back into the community on leaving the services.
VIC was formed from a small core team of volunteers, Bob Elliott, Darren Horsnell and Suzanne Preston who had previously been members of Veterans In Action (VIA). VIA used an outdoor programme to help and support veterans using Wilderness Therapy and fundraising as a means for veterans to regain their confidence, self-esteem and self-belief. VIA took a number of veterans who were suffering Post Traumatic Stress on a 1200 miles walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 2010. The walk was completed within 4 weeks and those who took part lived in tents and only used the national trails, local walking routes and canals. The experience was life changing and when they completed the walk it was observed what positive changes that could be achieved through veterans supporting veterans through outdoor activities.
Bob who was employed as an Employment Advisor with Shaw Trust was a volunteer with VIA during the first walks until he was made redundant in 2011 when he became full-time as the VIA North-West Operational Manager and involved in the development of VIA. He realised that many of the positive life changes could very quickly be reversed when they returned home as many lived alone, had complex mental health conditions and were socially isolated. This inspired the concept of having a veteran’s centre where they could drop-in and be around like-minded people. The centre would need to have a number of activity based projects led by the volunteers themselves, provide an outreach information and advice service, invite the other third sector organisations working with veterans to have an outreach venue and once the veteran feels able to include them into the larger VIA walks.
Bob met with Dorothy Mitchell and REAL in Haslingden in 2011 to discuss how to take the VIA forward and to secure funding for its outdoor activities and the veterans centre. With the support of REAL, VIA developed a satellite outreach in Bacup and where the concept for the North-West could be developed. Darren developed an art group that met every Friday at the Bacup offices and Bob continued with the outdoor activities, VIA continued with the longer walks and the members from the North-West joined the Land’s End to Dover and Dover to Cape Wraith walks. Suzanne developed the outreach in Rossendale and Rochdale.
The members we were working with from the North-West and Rossendale also did a number of marshaling of events and community events to support the local community and to raise the profile of VIA in the North-West. We worked closely with the other veteran’s organisations, Local Authorities, NHS, mental health services, the MOD at Preston and many of other community groups. Our pro-active approach to supporting veterans ensured that these organisations were familiar with the name of VIA and during this period enabled us to build up some very good working relationships and reputation. VIA decided to restructure itself and only keep to the outdoor elements of the charity and not develop the concept of the veterans centre further.
In September 2012 it was agreed that the members who had worked on the concept and veterans centre would branch away from VIA, and a new charity would be formed under the name of Veterans In Communities. VIC had the support of three Trustees; Ronnie Barker, Barry Payton and Diane Owen who believed in the Concept for the North-West and the benefits to both the veterans and the community as a whole. VIC held their public launch to Rossendale, partners and many other organisations in September 2012 at Alder Grange School, where we showcased our achievements to date and what we were planning in the next 12 months.
With the support of REAL, the Trustees and our core members VIC gained charity status in March 2013, and with the support of REAL and Diane Owen we secured our first funding from the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (ELCCG) to deliver a veterans service within East Lancashire for 12 months. We experienced a rapid growth in our provision and range of activities in the first 12 months. The diversity of the outreach, community projects and activities which were identified by our members themselves gave us so many more opportunities and access to further funding. It was important that VIC would stay a volunteer led charity and to have the volunteers to lead on any activities, outreach and projects as members would take ownership and become less reliant of other services. This would ensure the new charity kept evolving and a good variety of future projects that veterans and members of the community could be part of.
The VIC model was and is organic and continues to recognise the need to support veterans through a number of community-based activities in East Lancashire and parts of Greater Manchester.
VIC was formed from a small core team of volunteers, Bob Elliott, Darren Horsnell and Suzanne Preston who had previously been members of Veterans In Action (VIA). VIA used an outdoor programme to help and support veterans using Wilderness Therapy and fundraising as a means for veterans to regain their confidence, self-esteem and self-belief. VIA took a number of veterans who were suffering Post Traumatic Stress on a 1200 miles walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 2010. The walk was completed within 4 weeks and those who took part lived in tents and only used the national trails, local walking routes and canals. The experience was life changing and when they completed the walk it was observed what positive changes that could be achieved through veterans supporting veterans through outdoor activities.
Bob who was employed as an Employment Advisor with Shaw Trust was a volunteer with VIA during the first walks until he was made redundant in 2011 when he became full-time as the VIA North-West Operational Manager and involved in the development of VIA. He realised that many of the positive life changes could very quickly be reversed when they returned home as many lived alone, had complex mental health conditions and were socially isolated. This inspired the concept of having a veteran’s centre where they could drop-in and be around like-minded people. The centre would need to have a number of activity based projects led by the volunteers themselves, provide an outreach information and advice service, invite the other third sector organisations working with veterans to have an outreach venue and once the veteran feels able to include them into the larger VIA walks.
Bob met with Dorothy Mitchell and REAL in Haslingden in 2011 to discuss how to take the VIA forward and to secure funding for its outdoor activities and the veterans centre. With the support of REAL, VIA developed a satellite outreach in Bacup and where the concept for the North-West could be developed. Darren developed an art group that met every Friday at the Bacup offices and Bob continued with the outdoor activities, VIA continued with the longer walks and the members from the North-West joined the Land’s End to Dover and Dover to Cape Wraith walks. Suzanne developed the outreach in Rossendale and Rochdale.
The members we were working with from the North-West and Rossendale also did a number of marshaling of events and community events to support the local community and to raise the profile of VIA in the North-West. We worked closely with the other veteran’s organisations, Local Authorities, NHS, mental health services, the MOD at Preston and many of other community groups. Our pro-active approach to supporting veterans ensured that these organisations were familiar with the name of VIA and during this period enabled us to build up some very good working relationships and reputation. VIA decided to restructure itself and only keep to the outdoor elements of the charity and not develop the concept of the veterans centre further.
In September 2012 it was agreed that the members who had worked on the concept and veterans centre would branch away from VIA, and a new charity would be formed under the name of Veterans In Communities. VIC had the support of three Trustees; Ronnie Barker, Barry Payton and Diane Owen who believed in the Concept for the North-West and the benefits to both the veterans and the community as a whole. VIC held their public launch to Rossendale, partners and many other organisations in September 2012 at Alder Grange School, where we showcased our achievements to date and what we were planning in the next 12 months.
With the support of REAL, the Trustees and our core members VIC gained charity status in March 2013, and with the support of REAL and Diane Owen we secured our first funding from the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (ELCCG) to deliver a veterans service within East Lancashire for 12 months. We experienced a rapid growth in our provision and range of activities in the first 12 months. The diversity of the outreach, community projects and activities which were identified by our members themselves gave us so many more opportunities and access to further funding. It was important that VIC would stay a volunteer led charity and to have the volunteers to lead on any activities, outreach and projects as members would take ownership and become less reliant of other services. This would ensure the new charity kept evolving and a good variety of future projects that veterans and members of the community could be part of.
The VIC model was and is organic and continues to recognise the need to support veterans through a number of community-based activities in East Lancashire and parts of Greater Manchester.