7 LIFELONG SUPPORT
12 A MOTHERS LOVE
FOR SSAFA SUPPORTERS | AUTUMN 2013
14 THE EXTRA MILE
WELCOME
PARTNERSHIP
CONTENTS 2
JOINING FORCES
Introduction from David Murray
3 Joining Forces
4 A place to call home
7 Lifelong support
8 Forces families at the heart of who you support
10 A very deserved make-over
12 A Mother’s love
14 Going the extra mile
16 Bringing families closer
OUR CONTACT DETAILS Queen Elizabeth House, 4 St Dunstan’s Hill, London EC3R 8AD T 020 7463 9225 F 020 7403 8815 E supporter@ssafa.org.uk ssafa.org.uk Registered Charity No. 210760 Est. 1885 Registered Charity (Scotland) No. SC038056 Cover Photo: Cayle Royce and his mum Bronwyn
2
ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
Dear Friends Thank you so much for the invaluable support you continue to give, ensuring that our Service families can turn to us for help when they most need it. Our aim is to provide long lasting support especially for those coming to terms with significant changes in their lives and emotional trauma. Thanks to your support, our SSAFA Norton Homes continue to be a haven for families. This short term accommodation means that families can stay near by whilst visiting their injured loved ones in an environment that allows them to relax, share their experiences and gain mutual support from others facing similar challenges. Cayle and his mum Bronwyn are one such family, and they have shared their story on page 4 of SSAFA News. The trained support our volunteer caseworkers give makes a real difference in the lives of more than 50,000 people every year.
Without your help, we simply could not meet the needs of our deserving veterans and their families. As you will read in SSAFA News, when veteran John Halliday needed to move house to be close to his family, we were there to help. When Alan Smith desperately needed a fridge and washing machine, we were on hand to ensure he did not face hardship on his own.
One of the UK’s leading white goods manufacturers, Indesit, has signed up to support our Forces family by providing household appliances at a reduced price for those whom we help. Essential household items such as fridges and cookers are often a need for many of the people we help. Some people are transitioning from Service accommodation to residential housing, or are setting up a home for the first time after being homeless and the cost of purchasing appliances is beyond their reach.
“We are there to give them the support they need,” says Gary Sinclair our Head of Welfare. “Most affordable accommodation is let unfurnished so the cost of turning a property into a home can be high. For those on low income, the cost of replacing broken appliances is simply beyond their means.” “We ensure that anything we provide is good value for charitable money and gives those we help appliances that are safe, economical and reliable, supported by a responsive service organisation.”
A HELPING HAND FOR ALAN
Every day, thanks to your support, we provide life changing help to those in need. We are very grateful for your generosity and commitment to our Forces family.
Chief Executive Air Vice-Marshal The Hon David Murray CVO OBE
Alan moved from a flat close to the station where there was significant anti-social behaviour, to quieter accommodation.
Thanks to the help he received from us, Alan no longer has to go shopping on a daily basis or hand wash his clothes.
His new flat had no carpets, curtains, washing machine or fridge, and he did not have enough money to purchase the basic items he needed.
Our partnership with Indesit means that white goods and household appliances can be obtained for those in need using funds from our supporters.
“I was struggling to get by before I was put in touch with SSAFA. My life is so much better now.” Alan
SSAFA.ORG.UK
3
HOUSING
HOUSING
HOW WE HELP
579 Last year, 579 people stayed at our SSAFA Norton Homes.
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
£318,000 It costs £318,000 to run the Homes every year.
Cayle was given a 10% chance of survival following major injuries in Afghanistan. He had both legs amputated and had other extensive injuries. However, after an initial six weeks in a coma, he defied expectations. His mum Bronwyn and brother Seth, a Royal Marine, were at his bedside during those critical days.
“The staff at the SSAFA homes are fantastic. They made us feel very welcome. Nothing was too much trouble, and naturally Cayle needed lots of help while we were there.
“The family stayed at SSAFA Norton House at Selly Oak whilst Cayle was at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. When he was transferred to Surrey he went directly to stay at SSAFA Norton House at Ashstead, as the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court, was being refurbished,” says Bronwyn.
“Mike, the SSAFA Norton House Manager at Headley Court, spent a lot of time chatting to us and reassuring us, and he was a great comfort. He and Cayle get on very well and still spend hours chatting when Cayle goes to the home on weekends.
4
ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
£20 Your gift of £20 could help pay for one person’s overnight stay at a SSAFA Norton Home.
“There were many weekends when I travelled from my home in Devon to SSAFA Norton House to see Cayle. My time spent there with my son was invaluable – we could be together, relax and chat in a safe, homely environment. The SSAFA Norton Homes have been a lifeline to me.”
“ The SSAFA Norton Homes have been a lifeline to me.”
“The staff at the homes are fantastic. They made us feel very welcome.”
Bronwyn
SSAFA.ORG.UK
5
VETERAN SUPPORT
HMS Consort D76 and inset George Bailey.
LIFELONG SUPPORT CHRISTMAS CARDS AND GIFTS ALL PROFITS FROM SALE OF ITEMS HELP TO SUPPORT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES AND THEIR LOVED ONES IN TIMES OF REAL NEED. T 01227 811 615 T +44 1227 811 644 (for overseas orders) E ssafa@impresspublishing.co.uk ssafastore.org.uk Please make your order early to ensure you receive your cards and gifts on time. We will take orders until 13th December (6th December for cards requiring overprinting), weather permitting.
6
ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
Sixty years ago, George Bailey was on the HMS Consort D76 when it set sail from Japan. The destination was Korea where war had broken out on 25th June 1950. George was 17½ when he joined the Royal Navy in 1948. He says: “I enlisted voluntarily as my family were quite poor. I didn’t have a proper pair of shoes, so I joined to better myself and to be able to send my mother money to help raise the rest of the family.” George served in the Royal Navy for 8 years and then followed a term with the Merchant Navy. Today, George is 82 and lives in a residential home in the West Country. George receives financial support from SSAFA, in order to meet his everyday basic needs.
“I enlisted voluntarily as my family were quite poor.” George SSAFA.ORG.UK
7
FAMILY SUPPORT
FAMILY SUPPORT
FORCES FAMILIES AT THE HEART OF WHO YOU SUPPORT Amelia was only 10 months old when she contracted Meningitis. She underwent significant surgery including the loss of the fingers and thumb on her right hand. “It was a hugely worrying time for the whole family,” says mum Melinda. Today, Amelia is four years old. Her mum says: “Amelia has made an amazing recovery and has caught up so well. She has been so brave and hasn’t let it phase her.” With Amelia’s dad Simon being in the Army, they move house a lot. Following a move Borden, the local Army Welfare Officer put the family in touch with SSAFA.
Melinda says: “We had just been ploddingon on our own up until that point in terms of Amelia’s needs and we probably would still be doing the same now. But SSAFA asked what she needed right now to make life a little easier. We sent a list to our SSAFA community volunteer and it was approved and pretty quickly we received the items.” To help provide balance, stability and co-ordination, Amelia received orthopaedic shoes, a button hook to help her button up her clothes on her own, a one-handed game controller to help Amelia’s hand eye co-ordination and a step to assist with balance and support around the house.
“Having this help has made such a big difference to us as a family.” Melinda 8
ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
SSAFA.ORG.UK
9
OUR VOLUNTEERS
OUR VOLUNTEERS
A VERY DESERVED MAKE-OVER John Philips, a Falklands veteran and SSAFA volunteer caseworker, was entered in the competition for a garden make-over by ITV’s prime time television programme, ‘Love your Garden’. He and his wife Christine got a most welcome surprise when the nation’s favourite celebrity gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, knocked at their door with news that he was giving their garden a make-over.
John and Christine have recently moved to Woking from the West Midlands to be close to their grandchildren. Their new house was in good order but the garden needed a huge amount of work.
The programme sees the gardens of Britain’s most deserving people transformed by Alan Titchmarsh and his dedicated team.
John, who has volunteered for SSAFA since retirement, was thrilled when he saw the finished garden. He says: “The make-over
Whilst serving in the Royal Engineers in the Falkland’s in 1982, John was defusing a device onboard HMS Antelope when it exploded. He was severely injured and had his left arm amputated. He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. 10 ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
is fantastic and has given us a great deal of pleasure already. I was worried about the work involved in getting it from a bare uninteresting patch to a presentable garden. “The task would have taken me several years. It was a great relief when Alan Titchmarsh knocked on my door and said ‘I understand you need a little help with your garden’. You bet I did!”
OUR VOLUNTEERS Our 7,500 volunteers are a resource in their local communities. They give their time to support our Forces family wherever they are, including on military bases around the world, making a difference in the lives of more than 50,000 people, young and old alike, every year.
Alan Titchmarsh with John and Christine Phillips
SSAFA.ORG.UK
11
FAMILY SUPPORT
FAMILY SUPPORT
A MOTHER’S LOVE Kevin’s dream was to join the Army. He enrolled as a Cadet at 12 and signed up with the Army at 18 in 2006. After training at Catterick, he was off to Iraq. Bosnia and Afghanistan were his next tours of duty.
HOW WE HELP
885 Last year, 885 people were helped by one of our Family Support Groups. Our family support groups provide mutual support and advice when it is most needed.
435
Family members now belong to our Support Groups for injured service personnel and bereaved families.
“I was naturally worried about my son. He was the first thing I thought about each morning and the last thing before bedtime,” says Eleanor. “Having coped with being shelled at Basra Palace, his Commanding Officer said that Kevin had done really well during his first tour. One evening Kevin said to me without warning, ‘they shot at me, you know mum’.” “Kevin rarely called home when on tour so I was surprised when one
morning he rang. All Kevin knew was that he was at Camp Bastion hospital. “Kevin had started to feel unwell after a patrol the day before. The previous few days had seen a punishing schedule and he’d only had a few hours of sleep. When it was time to get up for the next patrol, his friends could not wake him up, so he was rushed to hospital. “He was flown back home to Selly Oak hospital’s neurological ward where there was little support
“I had read about SSAFA’s Support Groups so I called and asked for help. It was brilliant to have someone to talk to.” Eleanor
12 ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
for us. After a week Kevin was sent home, unable to stand and slurring his words. He spent most of his time asleep. I took time off work to care for him. “I had read about SSAFA’s Support Groups so I called and asked for help. It was brilliant to have someone to talk to. I got advice on what rights I had and what the Army should be doing to support us. I have since met other
“Every day is a constant battle but having SSAFA makes things so much easier. ” Eleanor
mums in the support groups and they’ve been a wealth of information and encouragement. “I was also put in touch with my local SSAFA branch. We got additional help, including a special bed for Kevin and a holiday in Wales to give us respite from the day-to-day challenges.
Kevin was diagnosed with ME and Fibromyalgia. He was medically discharged by the Ministry of Defence in 2011. “Every day is a constant battle but having SSAFA makes things so much easier. We can talk things through and also support other mum’s going through similar challenges.” SSAFA.ORG.UK
13
FUNDRAISING
REMEMBER OUR FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES IN YOUR WILL
GOING THE EXTRA MILE Royal Engineer, Doc McKerr, completed a solo and unsupported Nepal trek of 1,650km in 75 days, raising more than £8,000 to support our Forces family. Doc’s trek took him from east to west Nepal, through the upper and lower Great Himalaya Trail, where he experienced some of the most remote and breathtaking landscapes in the world. Very few people have walked the entire length of the mountain range in the last few decades. Doc says, “I choose to support SSAFA through this expedition because it’s one of very few charities that supports all 14 ssafanews AUTUMN 2013
Gifts left to us in wills make our work possible. By remembering SSAFA in your will, you can ensure that our Forces and their families will have the support they need.
three services and their families, both during their time in the military and afterwards.” Doc joined the British Army in May 2006 and commissioned into the Royal Engineers in April 2007. He completed two operational tours in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2012.
THANK YOU Our deep gratitude and many thanks to the thousands of community fundraisers who go to great lengths to support our Forces family. For more information on fundraising, please call 020 7463 9310.
For more information on including SSAFA in your will and our work, please call 020 7463 9257 or legacy@ssafa.org.uk
Please send me more information on leaving a gift in my will TITLE FORENAME
SURNAME
ADDRESS
POSTCODE
TEL
Please complete this form and return to (no stamp required): SSAFA, Freepost Plus RTEC-XKUX-TSLA, Queen Elizabeth House, 4 St Dunstan’s Hill, London EC3R 8AD
VETERAN SUPPORT
BRINGING FAMILIES CLOSER Thanks to you and other supporters, our veterans and their families are at the heart of who we help every single day. John Halliday, 83, was living in Plymouth whilst his three daughters and ten grandchildren lived in Scotland. John contacted SSAFA’s Branch in Glasgow for help with moving so that he could be close to his family. Our volunteers helped John complete all the relevant paperwork and he also received funds to pay for his removal costs and lay carpet in his new home. John is now living in sheltered accommodation close to his daughters.
HOW WE HELP
50,000 Every year, thanks to your support, we help more than 50,000 people in hundreds of different ways.
Thanks to you, other supporters and dedicated volunteers, we are there for 50,000 people who need SSAFA’s help each and every year, providing support to anyone currently serving or has served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army or Royal Air Force, and their families too. Because of your kindness and generosity, and that of others, we are committed to providing lifelong support whenever and wherever our Forces family need us, ensuring that they do not struggle on their own in silence.
ssafa.org.uk Facebook “f ” Logo
twitter.com/ssafa
CMYK / .eps
Facebook “f ” Logo
CMYK / .eps
facebook.com/ssafafb