Find out more about the Veterans Welfare Service

Late last year, we released our newest video.  The five minute film, the latest in the Agency’s ‘Veterans Today’ series, aims to raise awareness of the one-to-one help provided by Veterans Welfare Service, in the home if needed, to anyone who has served in the Armed Forces.

In the film, Presenter Don Goldie investigates the origins of the service nearly a century ago, when its role was to look after the welfare needs of First World War casualties, Service widows and orphans, though to the current day and those affected by operations in Afghanistan. The video explains how the Veterans Welfare Service has retained its core principles, whilst adapting to a much wider role as part of the Government’s commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant. It shows how welfare support is provided automatically to those medically discharged and for those bereaved by service, with an ‘on request’ service to all other members of the veterans community, including dependents and families.

Alison Davies, Manager of the Veterans Welfare Service for the UK and Ireland, explained how important the video is to raising awareness about the service among generations of veterans:

“The Veterans Welfare Service has been providing help and support to the veterans community for almost 100 years and through two World Wars. Our more recent work includes helping those who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq but we are still here for veterans of any age, no matter when or for how long they served. This video will really help us raise awareness of our services and I hope it encourages any veterans who need welfare support to get in touch.”

The Veterans Welfare Service works in partnership with the Armed Forces, Service and ex-Service charities, local authorities and local Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees to deliver a quality welfare service that promotes independence and dignity via continuous support. Veterans requiring welfare help or assistance can contact the service by calling the Veterans-UK helpline, free, on 0800 169 2277.

Our ‘Veterans Today’ videos are available on the SPVA Social Media Hub that can be accessed via the Veterans-UK website -  . They are also available via the SPVA channel on YouTube

Think Before You...

The MOD has just launched a new personal online security awareness campaign.

The campaign aims to encourage Service Personnel and MOD civilians to carefully consider possible repercussions before posting information on social networking sites.

There is also new MOD guidance - Think Before You . . . - for personnel using social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which advises them not to put themselves or others at increased risk by releasing too much information about themselves or other operational details.

Risks to Service personnel - and potentially their families - include posting details and locations of troop movements, operational events, locations and travel details of ships or aircraft, as well as people's home addresses. If inadvertently released, information such as this could give the UK's enemies the upper hand. 

The guidance and products to download (web banners, posters, etc) would be useful for anyone in the Armed Forces Community.

Online videos have been released as part of the campaign and we'll be posting links to them shortly.

From Tudor times to present day

Our latest video was launched today and is available to view now, it's the fifth video we've launched and our previous films can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Our new release looks at the history of the War Pension Scheme, the first formal scheme to compensate battle casualties and their families was conceived during the reign of Elizabeth I over 400 years ago. Today the scheme is run in conjunction with the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

We've also recently released podcasts explaining the recent changes to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme that you might find interesting, they can be downloaded via our Social Media Hub. 

Latest Veterans Today video release

We have now released the fourth in our series of videos highlighting a variety of items of interest to the Service and veterans community.

In the latest edition of ‘Veterans Today’, presenter Don Goldie takes viewers on a tour of Ilford Park Polish Home.

Situated just a few miles from Newton Abbot in Devon, the Home provides residential and nursing care for those who qualify for admission under the 1947 Polish Resettlement Act.

This historic establishment, administered by SPVA, has been home to a thriving Polish community for over 60 years. The Home was founded as a result of a promise made by Winston Churchill to the Polish people during the Second World War.

Even today, the Home preserves its distinctly Polish ambience, which is reflected in the food, music and language shared by the residents.

During the programme, Clare Thomas who manages the home on behalf of SPVA, explains how the customs and traditions of the residents continue to be nurtured and how the community has, over the years, become firmly established as an integral and cherished part of Poland, set deep in the Devon countryside.

‘Veterans Today’ is available to view on the Veterans-UK website and is syndicated via iTunes and YouTube and other social media sites - you can find the links on our Social Media Hub.

SPVA's newest video cast its eye on history

We've just released the third in a series of videos highlighting a variety of items of interest to the service and veterans community.

In the latest video, presenter Don Goldie looks at the work of the Historic Casualty Casework team, a small, dedicated unit working within the MoD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC).

The Casework team deals with all enquires relating to individual military fatalities outside the recent past and co-ordinates investigations following the discovery of human remains of personnel killed in the First and Second World Wars,. This fascinating work involves attempts to identify the casualty and trace their next of kin or descendants. They then arrange an appropriate military funeral in the country concerned, if that is the wish of the family.

The team have recently been heavily involved in the Fromelles Project which called for their expertise in the identification and reburial of 250 British and Australian troops who were killed during the battle in 1916. The videocast features an interview with Sue Raftree, head of the Fromelles team, who explains the procedures that were undertaken in attempting to identify the remains of those bodies recovered from their original resting place.

Fromelles will also feature in a future SPVA podcast, in which Ranald Leask of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission talks in some detail about the background to the project. Watch out for the release in the next couple of days!