Scottish Minister Visits local Veterans
By: Suzanne Fernando
Tags: Veterans, Minister, Government, Scotland, Parliament

Ayrshire Veterans Breakfast Club enjoyed a welcomed visit from the Scottish Veteran Minister Mr Graeme Dey MSP and North Ayrshire Provost Ian Clarkson as part of the Scottish Government Veterans consultation.

Ayrshire Veterans in Saltcoats

This is extremely important work raising awareness of the Unforgotten Forces programme.

Decorated Veteran Suzanne Fernando, who served with the Royal Military Police said: “The Melbourne Cafe, Saltcoats opened there doors specially for the visit. We had a great turn out and everyone had a lovely morning filled with tea, cakes and banter! Our Veteran Breakfast Club meet every Monday morning in the Melbourne Cafe and all are welcome. Numerous veterans have settled or are settling across Ayrshire after completing service or on discharge, and whilst most of us do not experience serious problems some do. This can be made worse by isolation and the availability of drugs and alcohol. As recently reported although Service in the Armed Forces is a positive and rewarding experience for the majority of those who serve, research indicates that Armed forces personnel and veterans can, like others, experience mental health problems like myself.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect all walks of life, members of the Armed Forces are frequently exposed to distressing sights and experiences on deployment, research has found that rates of PTSD are higher within regular members of the Armed Forces. More concerning are the statistics relating to alcohol misuse, the impact of deployment on the mental health of members of the Reserve Forces, and the suicide rates amongst young early Service leavers.

One of the main reasons for setting up our Ayrshire Veteran Breakfast Club was to assist our veterans and to help them no matter what age, or need, should it be health, welfare, finance or other there are people to help. We are a Community Organisation who are here to support Veterans and Serving Members of H.M Forces. It is run "BY Veterans FOR Veterans" NOT "by veterans for the few". We are all volunteers simply wishing to integrate our lonely veterans back into society again. Our ethos is mutual support, it works because we all have a similar humour & outlook, & the social life we now enjoy is like our service days with the element of a family feeling again.

Breakfast Clubs are completely FREE…. And will always remain free! There are no fees or subs and we're NOT here to make money for any organisation/business.

We believe that the commitment of our Forces and their families deserves our lifelong support. So we provide practical, emotional and financial support to anyone who is serving or has ever served and their families. Whenever you need us, we’ll do whatever we can to help. Over 2,000 veterans in Scotland contacted Legion Scotland last year looking for a befriender to help them combat loneliness and isolation. Vveterans of all ages and backgrounds can encounter a range of challenges upon leaving the Armed Forces including isolation, unemployment and housing issues. Service makes a massive difference to the general wellbeing of our fellow veterans. Some members of the ex-service community have had no interaction for months, even years and it is heart breaking. Everybody needs to talk, to socialise. I struggled with depression upon leaving the services and being diagnosed with cervical cancer so I loathe the idea of someone having to go through a similar situation.

We often visit our veterans at home who are now alone and many of whom have no one else to talk to. Since establising our breakfast club we have been able to provide advice and signpost them to vital support services and other military charities which has had a long lasting positive change on their lives.

Veterans are in need of support. Our breakfast club is simple but highly effective. We know that many of our members have felt isolated, depressed, suicidal and lonely after leaving the military and having someone to talk to, share a laugh with and confide in really has made a huge difference to their lives.

We now enjoy social events, day trips, comradeship events, clubs, sports, parades and remembrance services together and whether they left service yesterday or 50 years ago – everyone is welcome. Being able to speak to Mr Dey directly about what support is being provided in Scotland to assist the significant number of ex-service personnel, was a wonderful opportunity.”

Find your nearest veteran breakfast club here: https://www.afvbc.net/

All service veterans (If you can cope with the banter), who turn up will be made welcome.

Ayrshire Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/804615282982632/

Following the launch of the UK-wide Strategy ‘For Our Veterans’; the Minister has been widely consulting with the veteran community. The strategy sets out the vision, principles and aims which will drive support for veterans in the future. The Ayrshire Veterans Breakfast Club is a regular place to provide direct support and referrals to other agencies. The ministerial visit provided an opportunity for veterans to discuss their experiences past and present, and the impact it has had on their lives.

Mr Dey said: “Scotland has a long and very proud military tradition. Our Armed Forces and Veterans Community are assets to our society and I want to ensure that their service is properly acknowledged and that they are well supported and looked after. I am pleased to have been able to join in the Veterans Breakfast this morning.”

Unforgotten Forces is a partnership between 15 leading organisations which will deliver a range of new services and enhancements in areas including advice, access to healthcare, social isolation, respite, along with creative activities and events for those in care settings.

For more information go to: https://www.poppyscotland.org.uk/get-help/unforgotten-forces/