Grants Secure the Future of VIC

Three grants have been awarded to Veterans In Communities to secure projects over the  coming years.

Their long-term funder the East Lancashire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has
approved a further grant for two years – a total of £160,000 – while £8,000 has been agreed by ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity and £21,710 from Heywood Middleton and Rochdale Social
Investment Fund.

VIC Chief Executive Liz Hamilton said:

“We are delighted that the hard work of Veterans In Communities has been recognised by these three funding bodies and it will ensure that our work can continue and can extend to reach even more veterans and former emergency services personnel.”

The CCG grant covers the work of VIC in the East Lancashire area while the HMR grant
supports the outreach services we provide in the Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton areas.
The Soldiers’ Charity grant will be used to help set up Veterans in Production – VIP.
This is a new initiative that will see veterans creating items for sale and undertaking  projects. The grant will pay for equipment and tools that can be used to create items for sale at VIC and the allotment sites.

There are plans to create more benches from upcycled pallets along with nesting boxes  and other woodworking projects.  VIP has already been commissioned to create a bespoke notice board for Weir by  community group Weir Pride.

As part of the CCG grant, VIC is also running an inter-generational project uniting cadets
with veterans.  Cadets from the Air Training Corps attended a meeting at the VIC Centre when they got to hear tales from four veterans.
Lewis Banham and Doug Hocken served in the Second World War, Lewis is a D-Day veteran and Doug was in the RAF. Dennis Rawes was in the Queens’ Lancashire Regiment and Bill Ogden served in the Royal Signals Corps.
Liz said: “The talk was scheduled to last until 12, but they were so interested and asked so many questions that the young cadets and veterans were still chatting half an hour later.”