UK: Veteran Support Centre Network to More Than Double to 34 Organisations as 21 Groups Share 13.2 Million Pounds
The UK veteran support centre network is to more than double, the government announced on November 5, with 21 organisations receiving a share of over 13.2 million pounds to launch a second wave of VALOUR-recognised centres by the beginning of 2027, giving veterans and their families easier access to healthcare, jobs and housing support. The funding forms part of the 50-million-pound VALOUR system rollout.
Earlier this year, 14 organisations were awarded over 13 million pounds to launch the first wave of centres. With the second wave, the network grows from 14 to 34 organisations, and an estimated one million veterans and their families will benefit from easier access to local support. VALOUR has been designed to help the UK's estimated two million veterans get the support they need through recognised centres, a helpline service or GOV.UK, and is overseen by a headquarters in the Office for Veterans' Affairs within the Ministry of Defence.
Minister for Veterans and People Calvin Bailey visited Citizens Advice Rushmoor in Aldershot on Monday, November 2, to meet staff and the local veterans they support; the charity is one of the 21 organisations in the second wave. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was a privilege to honour veterans year-round, not just at Remembrance, and that he was proud to see the VALOUR network grow. Bailey said the announcement, ahead of Remembrance Sunday, paid tribute to the armed forces community by giving veterans easier access to the support they need regardless of where they are in the UK.
Source: 英国国防部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：退伍军人纪念碑上的纪念罂粟花（资料图），Gerard Dutton 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC0 授权 / Photo: A remembrance poppy on a veterans memorial (file photo), by Gerard Dutton, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
