South Ayrshire war veterans can get help

Jun 11 2008 By Lorraine Waddell

WAR veterans and their families are being urged to visit a dedicated information centre to find out what benefits they are entitled to.

The agencies who can help have got together to provide a 'drop-in' service at the old Tartan Shop at the corner of Sandgate and High Street in Ayr between June 23 until June 27.

This is part of the self-titled 'public awareness week' which is aimed at advertising services and groups who are available to help those who have served in the armed forces.

This event comes just before the Royal Air Force Association, RAFA, club in Prestwick prepares for their 60th anniversary with a special celebration night on July 18.

The groups involved are Support Our Soldiers, Combat Stress, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Soldiers, Sailors Air Force Association, Royal Air Forces Association and the Royal British Legion.

Although welfare services are available all year round, the groups are keen to promote their services and make people aware that they are there to help.

Ayr man John Tennent benefitted from the RAFA service after his wife was taken into hospital with an abscess.

The wound from the operation to remove it opened and she had to have further surgery as a result.

The 82-year-old, who served in the RAF for two years, said: "I've been a member of the RAF Association for 50 years. I didn't need any help from them.

"My wife was seriously ill and when she came out of hospital I met one of the chaps from RAFA at the golf club and he told me that we should apply for a respite holiday at one of the RAF homes so I did this and the nearest one was Richard Peck House at Lytham St Anne's.

"I applied and got a fortnight holiday there last May. I've applied again and will hopefully get another fortnight this year, roundabout August.

"It was absolutely out of this world. I've not been in a hotel and been treated the way I was treated in that place. It's a beautiful house and it's a great organisation."
 
Madam Chairman of the RAFA, Maud Whitelaw is urging people who need help to get it from them.

She said: "Swallow your pride because that's a big problem I think with a lot of people that they're too proud to ask for help.

"Anything that we do for them is in strict confidence. Nobody else knows anything about it. We will do our best for them.

"We have welfare officers who go and visit people who are ex-RAF or dependents of people who have been in the RAF. Sometimes we can help them to get things put into their house, help with financial problems and things like that.

"We can help them to fill out forms for social services and things like that but if we can help financially we will do if the need is there."
 
Combat Stress is a nationwide charity which cares for ex-servicemen and women who suffer psychologhical problems. They provide treatment for people and currently are helping those between 21 and 93.

They have a base at Hollybush House in Ayr.

Bill Middleton from the charity said: "We cater for 25 all in but that's rising to 30 over the next two months. There's three cottages where we cater for the whole family when they come.

"Even people in Ayr don't seem to know what Hollybush is."

The type of treatments Hollybush provides includes a range of psychiatric support and occupational therapy to veterans to help them rebuild their lives after combat.
 
James Macdonald from the Monkton and Prestwick branch of the British Legion wants to try and get more people involved when he helps out at the drop-in centre as well as spreading the word about the legion.

He said: "I find it very interesting, the people that you meet, and you realise just how much good work goes into the legion.

"We're going to give out a lot of information for people to read and come into make enquiries and we're also going to try and recruit some ex-servicemen who probably don't even realise there is a branch and try and get them involved as well."

The legion is a charity which provides financial, social and emotional support to millions of people who have served and it also provides help to their dependants.
 
RAFA Secretary Bob Chandler is eager to spread the message of all of the groups during the event at the end of the month.

He said: "One of the things that we noticed right from the beginning is that there is a lot of organisations who are doing the same thing so what we thought was that it would be a good idea for us to get together and maybe channel our expertise.

"What we're looking to do is say that we're all in it together. If RAFA can't help you SSAFA can, if SSAFA can't help you British Legion can so there's an awful lot of facilities that we can help people with as long as they're aware of it.

"SSAFA is an organisation which is professionally run by people who have been into university dealing with the type of problems, family problems plus if somebody's homeless SSAFA can find homes for them. It covers almost everything.

"The Benevolent Fund is the RAF side of it. They supply almost everything from marriage counselling all the way through to finding people homes, helping people with debt and all sorts of things liks that as well as the welfare side.

"RAFA and the Benevolent Fund work very closely together with respite and other holidays for not only older people but youngsters with illnesses."

Bob feels that one of the major problems in helping people is that those who could benefit don't realise they are eligible for help.

He continued: "The biggest problem we have is that the word veteran means different things to different people and what we want people to be aware of is that you can be a veteran at 20.

"The main thing is for people to understand that we are there if they need help. Times are getting hard and there's so many facilities that we have that we can help people with and that's really as long as people know we're here."