Adferiad is proud to announce that we have been awarded funding to become part of the UK Government's nationwide veteran support network - VALOUR.
Our Change Step Veterans’ Service, along with Woody’s Lodge and ALABARÉ will work together as a VALOUR-recognised centre consortium to deliver veterans’ support across North Wales.
VALOUR is the £50M UK-wide support service for veterans and their families, helping to improve access to the right support when needed, a key commitment of the Veterans Strategy.
The VALOUR-recognised centre development fund supports the establishment of VRCs to help improve access to in-person advice, guidance and support, with funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) in the Ministry of Defence. The fund is administered on behalf of the OVA by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT).
The growing network of VALOUR-recognised centres across the UK has further expanded, with Adferiad as one of twenty new lead organisations awarded funding through the second wave of VALOUR-recognised centre funding (plus an existing VALOUR-recognised centre from the first wave also receiving additional funding).
An exemplar of partnership working, VALOUR is a system, and there is no single route to support. VALOUR-recognised centres are an important part of the system, but they are not VALOUR in its entirety. Our main VALOUR-recognised centre will be based at Woody’s Lodge in Colwyn Bay, and open Monday to Friday (10am-4pm). This will be the hub of the project, housing the main staff team and providing the full health, housing and employment support alongside assessment, key workers, social activities and managed referrals.
Woody’s Lodge in Wrexham (also open Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm) will provide a smaller supporting spoke support. It will extend the project’s reach across North East Wales and provide another place where veterans can make contact, receive help and be connected with the main VALOUR-recognised centre and relevant local services.
Support can also be accessed online, or by telephone helpline from MOD Veterans Services, who provide the case management offer for VALOUR. Not having a VRC nearby is no barrier to gaining access to support through VALOUR.
Taking this agile approach enables VALOUR to be phased and refined, with ongoing stakeholder engagement providing invaluable insight and feedback to inform development and continuous improvement.
In time, VALOUR will include the wider Armed Forces community and will be underpinned by the extended Armed Forces Covenant legal duty.
If you're a veteran in North Wales and need help with housing, health, employment or welfare, we're here for you. Come and speak to us.
Visit Veterans | Adferiad or www.gov.uk/valour for more information.
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