Veterans and their dependants ‘Beer Call’ Harrogate Town AFC
The Yorkshire and Humber VAPC are holding a ‘Beer Call’ at the Harrogate Town AFC versus Torquay United on the 7 December.
John and Doreen at the final parade of the ex-junior leaders, Royal Corps of Signals held at Newton Abbot 8 September 2017. Copyright John Topping.
The main objective is to let veterans and their families know what benefits and assistance are available to them and to raise the profile of the Yorkshire and Humber Veterans Advisory and Pension Committee.
Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that many veterans and their families are unsure of the extensive range of benefits and help that are available to them. Several approaches have been used to try and assess their true needs with varying degrees of success. By kind permission of Harrogate Town AFC, VAPC will be holding a “Beer Call” at their ground on the 7 December.
Veterans and their families will be able to watch town play Torquay United and a few free tickets are available.
Ex-veterans should contact John Topping who will issue the tickets.
Garry Plant, Managing Director of the club says,
We are delighted to welcome Veterans and their families, and indeed serving military personnel, to Harrogate Town. We are committed to the Armed Forces Covenant and to building on the strong ties we have with our local military community.
The VAPC work to monitor how effectively the intent of the Armed Forces Covenant is being delivered by statutory authorities, such as Councils and the National Health, and others, such as charities, across Yorkshire and Humber.
This ‘Beer Call’ will be an opportunity for anyone to express their own opinion as to how well the Armed Forces Covenant is succeeding and highlight any concerns or observations they may wish to make confidentially.
What is great about what we do is that we are a completely independent body who provide an advisory and advocacy role to those organisations involved in delivering this support. At the same time we provide direct feedback to the government via Minister for Defence People and Veterans and through Ministry of Defence about what we think needs to be fixed.
Alex Baxter JP, DL, Chairman of the Yorkshire and Humber VAPC says,
We provide a unique, independent, view that government take seriously and want to find out what your concerns are so that we can advocate them to people who can make a difference.
Captain (Rtd) Bill Scarratt DFC one of Ripon’s many veterans says,
These days some veterans find themselves and their families isolated in society. It is very important that we ensure as much information as possible is made available to all our veterans so they can gain the help and assistance they need and then to access the correct support that is due to them.
Veterans Welfare Service
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) is committed to enhancing the quality of life for veterans and beneficiaries of Veterans UK pensions and compensation schemes, and all their dependants. For more information go to Veterans Welfare Service.
Veterans Gateway
The first point of contact for veterans seeking support. We put veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more. For more information go to the Veterans Gateway.