Veterans Should Not Be Forgotten
At the beginning of May 2020 we received confirmation that we had been successful with a funding application from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust for our ‘Veterans Should Not Be Forgotten’ project. We realised at the start of the COVID Crisis that our normal services would have to be suspended due to the restrictions and the National lockdown.
Earlier in the year we had already received some funding to run our ‘Developing Veterans’ project for an online photography project and this project is building on the success of some of members benefiting from have a tablet and using the Zoom platform. We knew the impact that the lockdown would have on our member’s mental health and they would become socially isolated again.
This project focuses on our small local community veteran coffee clubs and concentrating on smaller friendship groups within these hubs. Many would have to shield due to their health conditions.
Our outreach team and core volunteers will build a number of small clusters of friendship groups, re-connecting veterans with their veteran friends.
The funding has allowed us to purchase tablets, laptops, licences and peripherals in order for our outreach team and core volunteers to host virtual, weekly community “get-togethers” for the veterans. The tablets are on loan to our members and they will be provided with a simple instruction sheets and some tuition on a number of applications, including; Zoom, Facebook, and Emails. Small cluster of veterans will be able to use IT to remain in contact with their friends, families and other members that would see weekly at the Sandbag Cafe clubs and coffee breaks so they still meet for “a brew and a natter” with their friends albeit virtually.
Earlier in the year we had already received some funding to run our ‘Developing Veterans’ project for an online photography project and this project is building on the success of some of members benefiting from have a tablet and using the Zoom platform. We knew the impact that the lockdown would have on our member’s mental health and they would become socially isolated again.
This project focuses on our small local community veteran coffee clubs and concentrating on smaller friendship groups within these hubs. Many would have to shield due to their health conditions.
Our outreach team and core volunteers will build a number of small clusters of friendship groups, re-connecting veterans with their veteran friends.
The funding has allowed us to purchase tablets, laptops, licences and peripherals in order for our outreach team and core volunteers to host virtual, weekly community “get-togethers” for the veterans. The tablets are on loan to our members and they will be provided with a simple instruction sheets and some tuition on a number of applications, including; Zoom, Facebook, and Emails. Small cluster of veterans will be able to use IT to remain in contact with their friends, families and other members that would see weekly at the Sandbag Cafe clubs and coffee breaks so they still meet for “a brew and a natter” with their friends albeit virtually.
