Have you heard? Veterans in Action (VIA), one of our partner charities, has won a substantial grant from the National Lottery Community Fund by public vote! CONGRATULATIONS, Veterans in Action!
If you’re unfamiliar with VIA’s work, we strongly encourage a visit to their website or YouTube Channel. Like VOS and our other partners in the ‘Partnership in Mind’ network, VIA is making a real difference for veterans in their local area. We are so proud to work alongside them and thrilled for their success.
There can be no doubt that VIA earned this award through tireless efforts in their Andover-based community, where CEO Billy MacLeod and his dedicated team help veterans develop self-worth through building vehicles, attending excursions, having meaningful chats over coffees, walks, building Lego, and a range of other unique wellbeing activities. Their ‘People’s Projects’ award was granted specifically for their ‘ALIVE’ initiative, which is all about helping veterans to manage PTSD by harnessing new skills.
See them ‘in action’ here:
We are also incredibly proud of our broader veteran support community for the votes that helped VIA succeed. This award was granted based on the amount of votes VIA received over about ten days in May. Our community really pulled together to spread the word! To every person who voted for VIA and helped encourage others to vote: your efforts did not go unnoticed. We saw individuals promoting VIA at their local football clubs, to families and friends across social media, and beyond.
Your individual votes helped VIA to receive the maximum amount of funding from the People’s Projects- £70,000! THANK YOU, voters! In Billy’s words, “I know we were pestering you all over the last few weeks now but it really means a lot to us, your support is what keeps us here. Thank you very much.”
Hear them for yourself in this video shared to the Veterans in Action Facebook page, or this video showing them reacting to the win (with permission of ITV Meridian).
To us, this win represents how strong the veteran support community can be when we join forces. Thank you to our Partnership in Mind network for working together with shared missions and values, and for making it possible for us to promote veterans’ causes far and wide.
VOS CEO, Ian Millen, said: “This award is a testament to the great work that Billy Macleod and the team at VIA do on behalf of veterans. It’s also a testament to all those that cared enough about veterans to take the time to vote for them. This funding will make a world of difference to veterans supported by VIA and is richly deserved.”
If you’re a veteran from the UK Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy (from any time of service) or a partner to one, VOS would love for you to join our community. We are here to offer our support: call us on 02392 731 767, visit an upcoming drop-in, or email wellbeing@vosuk.org.
