Andover, UK – The distinguished local charity, Veterans in Action (VIA), is pleased to announce that they have received a generous grant of £70,000 from ITV and The National Lottery People’s Project. This prominent allocation is a direct result of an outpouring of public support, with VIA being the top choice in the voting process.
VIA, the only veterans’ charity nominated for The People’s Project 2023, was overwhelmed by the support and votes received. The project saw an extensive range of 80 community initiatives from all corners of the UK, with VIA’s ALIVE (Achieve – Learn – Inspire – Value – Experience) project being shortlisted and ultimately securing victory through a public vote.
Billy MacLeod MBE, a stalwart of the Veterans in Action Charity, expressed his gratitude, “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has voted for us. Your support is the backbone of our efforts to provide ongoing assistance to our veterans. Thanks to you, we can continue to help them transform their lives through peer support, physical, mental and social wellbeing, as well as providing a safe place for growth and skill development. To every single person who lent us their vote, thank you.”
Since its inception in 2008, VIA has experienced steady growth, receiving charity status in January 2009. Throughout this time, they have initiated numerous projects that compose the ALIVE Programme. Despite the comfort of its established niche in the charity sector, VIA is determined to continue its expansion, with the aim of becoming an industry leader in helping veterans grow beyond their own expectations by immersing them in long-term, transformative projects.
VIA will utilise the grant to further develop their ALIVE Centre and the projects within it, situated on the Hants/Wilts border. The aim is to cultivate a ‘safe environment’ for all participants in the ALIVE Programme, creating a haven for personal growth and learning.
The People’s Project, facilitated by The National Lottery Community Fund, The National Lottery, ITV, UTV, and the Sunday Mail in Scotland, provides a unique opportunity for the public to decide where National Lottery funding should be allocated in their local area. VIA’s triumph is a testament to the power of public opinion in shaping the community landscape, highlighting the importance of public engagement in local affairs.
Veterans in Action is a local charity based in Andover, dedicated to supporting veterans and helping them grow beyond their own expectations. VIA’s ALIVE Programme, composed of various long-term projects, serves as a platform for veterans to develop their skills, improve their mental and social well-being, and become actively involved in their own growth and transformation.
I needed focus I needed something to fill my time, well maybe not fill my time but something to focus on like a target, a needed to get back my drive.
I started to help VIA ‘Veterans In Action’ and found something that I could do, use the old skills that I learnt in the army and more since I left which I did not register I had.
I had been missing that motivation to do something that I wanted to do and gain that level of self-gratification and achievement.
Everybody has a skill set, but it’s the motivation to use it we can lose, VIA have various projects on the go all the time, hopefully I have found my niche to help them and myself to gain personal gratification by being a member of a team again and a job well done.
After discussions I realised that it’s this which advances my mental well-being and my ongoing fight against depression and the feeling of worthlessness.
I have woken up, helping hand in hand with fellow soldiers suffering from labelled disorders finding strength from weakness, realising what helps them generally does helps me, the recognition has been an awakening.”
Ian ‘Chalky’ White former 17th/21st Lancers and B Sqn 22 SAS
Veterans In Action have been filming our expeditions for many years for our YouTube Channel, Veterans Expeditions Overland, and through this experience of not only running the expeditions but also capturing footage that enables veterans who have taken part in a place of reference to recapture how they felt by taking part.
The Veterans In Focus project enables veterans to learn new skills and record not only the expeditions we run but also the day-to-day work on all projects connecting them all together so everyone feels involved in all aspects of the work we do.
VIA take a long-term approach to helping veterans who suffer to enable them to grow within a project working alongside their peers. All this can be achieved within this project which can be ongoing and would allow veterans to learn new skills or to pass on skills learned during their time in the services
Some of the outcomes of the project are a sense of purpose, regaining confidence and working in an environment alongside other veterans where they can instantly feel relaxed, chilled-out, secure, and safe.
Veterans can work at their own pace, stop thinking negatively, concentrate, learn new skills, be part of building something, and most importantly where problems are understood this will positively impact mood and stress levels.
For those involved in the project, they can also get involved on an expedition HERE
I became involved with VIA in 2010 after my life took a turn for the worse and was invited along to do some fundraising with them. This helped me no end and in time my life got back on track. I completed a Union Flag Walk with them from Cape Wrath to Land’s End which again helped as walking and talking with other veterans with similar stories was a great help in understanding how I was feeling. I gained control of my life again.
In 2019, I took part in an overland expedition travelling through the Spanish Pyrenees and whilst away my life took a turn for the worse again due to family problems back in the UK. On my return I had to start again and rebuild and focus on the future and with the help of Veterans In Action I got back on track and took control.
I now own and run my own courier business.
Mark Colman former Royal Engineers
To date, we have travelled 25,000 miles travelling through 30 different countries and some of them several times both on overland expeditions for humanitarian aid through the pandemic and more recently supplying medical humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
It is important to note that to take part in one of our overland expeditions we insist that veterans get involved in the BUILD IT part of the project. The reason for this is part of the Post Traumatic Growth process which is our method for helping veterans so that veterans can grow within a team of their peers, learning new skills and relearning old skill sets that may have been forgotten after service.
Leading up to an expedition involves expedition training which will include off-road driving, navigation, camp setups, camp cooking and daily maintenance, something most veterans will understand from their time in the services.
It would be unfair for any individual to turn up on the day of an expedition who hadn’t previously been involved as everyone else would have been working together over a long period of time so due to the very nature of the mental health problems of those we take out on expedition turning up on day 1 for any individual could become very difficult to find where they fit in no matter how welcoming everyone was.
It is the involvement long-term on building the vehicles that enable veterans to grow that gets them to a place where they fully enjoy all aspects of the expedition experience starting from the minute that an overland expedition sets off.