19 Dec Veterans encouraged to get support this Christmas
Wounded veterans and serving military personnel from across East Anglia are being encouraged to get support this Christmas. The armed forces charity, Help for Heroes, are running a series of community recovery hubs in Ipswich, Norwich, Brentwood and Colchester over the festive period.
The sessions will be attended by Help for Heroes staff who can arrange support from the charity’s Clinical Liaison Nurse, Key Workers, Psychological Wellbeing Team, Sports Recovery Team and Fellowship Team; as well as signposting veterans to additional support services and activities.
Help for Heroes will be at the following places across the Christmas period:
Monday 23rd December
The Matthew Project, 70-80 Oak Street, Norwich NR3 3AQ from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Wif Waf, Regatta Quay, 12 Key Street, Ipswich, IP4 1FH from 11:00am to 15:00pm.
Tuesday 24th December
Jacqueline’s Tea Room, 14 Short Wyre Street, Colchester, CO1 1LN from 10:00am to 14:00pm.
Monday 30th December
The Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood from 10:30am to 15:00pm.
Tuesday 31st December
Jacqueline’s Tea Room, 14 Short Wyre Street, Colchester, CO1 1LN from 10:00am to 14:00pm.
They will be offering tea, coffee and biscuits.
These pop-up hubs follow the success of three regular Community Recovery Programmes at Leisure Centres in Bury St Edmunds, Norwich and Loughborough which have been running since January 2019.
Help for Heroes Community Recovery Manager for the East, Julian North, said, “We’ve seen an increase in veterans coming forward for support since going out into the community where our veterans live and work. These sessions enable those who are wounded, injured or sick to get the most up-to-date information about what support is out there; not just from our charity but the countless other worthy causes who work hard to support veterans. It’s also an opportunity for like-minded people with shared experiences to meet up; from there friendships are often made with peer support developing”.
“We know that those who have put their lives on the line for our country can be affected by their service in a number of ways, facing physical and mental challenges as they transition back into civilian life. Help for Heroes aims to provide the right support for the individual, whether that’s taking part in sports recovery or doing creative activities or meeting with others who have had similar experiences. 40,000 careers have been derailed by injury in the last 20 years and every day that number grows. Help for Heroes still has a big role to play in supporting our wounded, injured and sick veterans and serving military personnel; we believe that they are entitled to receive the help they need. Remembrance Day commemorations can stir up painful memories for some veterans. Christmas is not far behind so it can be a difficult end to the year for some veterans, which is why we are running these drop-in sessions; for existing beneficiaries and those veterans who would like some assistance”.
To find out about the support on offer from Help for Heroes in the East go to: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-support/how-to-access-our-services/recovery-in-the-east/
