Years ago it was often said that eventually the community in general would cease to honour ex-service people, and that such things as Remembrance Day, Anzac Day and Armistice Day would become a thing of the past.  There would no longer processions on these days and local War Memorials would eventual crumble and lose their importance to communities. Care for ex-service people would become a thing of the past.

How very wrong these people were.  More recent conflicts and the continual engagement of our Armed Forces in peace keeping missions around the World mean we all know ex-service people, are aware of their service to the country and want to see them properly cared for when they leave the Services.

These days a great many organisations support the Armed Forces Community, and ex-service people seeking assistance used to have to navigate a plethora of organisations within the network of assistance.

In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced  £2 million of funding from the Armed Services Covenant Fund for a one-stop service to better support British Armed  Forces veterans in need.  Lord Ashcroft had highlighted in a report that the complexities of navigating the wide range of services was daunting and off-putting. What was needed was a first point of contact to assess needs and connect people to the right support quickly and easily.

The result of this is VETERAN’S GATEWAY, a consortium of organisations and Armed Forces Charities including the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Poppy Scotland, Combat Stress and Connect Assist.

This is a global service which can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The website below has a host of self-help information and contacts for support.  However, the phone line has advisors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and many of these are veterans themselves.

VISIT: www.veteransgateway.org.uk

Or call:   0808 802 1212  from the UK