Once again, this operating year has been challenging in terms of both fundraising and delivering support to vulnerable veterans but despite our small size we continue to disburse assistance in a timely manner.
We have reduced our financial outgoings by changing our storage facilities and closing the drop-in facility. This released sufficient funds to take on a part-time assistant last July on the national living wage rate which was recently increased in April as per government figures. My salary hasn’t changed since 2022 to keep the overheads down.
The good news is that during this 12-month period, 77 veterans all Army apart from 2 former RAF Airmen and 1 former Royal Marine have benefited from our rapidly delivered support.
The help was in the form of paying for: initial rents, deposits, buying essential household items such as beds, cookers etc. We delivered food parcels at Christmas and in January and February we delivered Winter fuel payments of £100 each to OAP veterans who had lost their government WFP. As per previous years trips to the Therapy Farm, we received a grant from the Veterans Foundation to help fund future visits, and just a couple of weeks ago our Trustee Cllr Reverand Eve Rose Keenan led a service for visitors and on Tuesday this week a further 8 veterans visited the farm.
We have referred just 2 veterans towards Op Fortitude due to their particular circumstances needing greater support: one was sent to Catterick, the other to Devon and we paid their transport costs. We have highlighted the lack of their cover here in South Yorkshire to the Defence Secretary who is also my local MP.
We were awarded the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme SILVER Award, and I agreed with the RFCA that we would take a year out to concentrate on our house purchase campaign before applying for consideration for the Gold Award during the following year.
Moving forward:
I have agreed with the trustees to work past my 70th birthday this June to help to deliver the BUY A BRICK campaign and get a Halfway House up and running in South Yorkshire IF we raise sufficient funds.
We are engaging with some important people such as our MP and 2 local Mayors offering their support. Unfortunately, the application we made to the AFCFT under their capital purchase scheme was turned down as ineligible as it doesn’t include purchase of properties for homeless veterans.
Therefore, we are fundraising ourselves as it is the charity’s hope that we will be able to purchase a house to use as emergency accommodation to offset the current expensive hotel/ B & B bills we pay for which makes it difficult to build up the savings account.
However, our reserves remain healthy exceeding our own 12-month rule. Any funds above that amount will be put toward the house purchase scheme.
As at 30th April 2025 our Bank balances stood at:
Current £7963.57 Reserve £160344.27 Total £168,307.84
At this point last year we had £163,625.86
At this point I wish to thank everyone who has fundraised for us this year in a variety of ways. Too many to mention individually, but groups like the local Veterans Breakfast clubs are getting behind us with our campaign to buy a house. We are also invited to several VE Day 80th day events in a couple of weeks.
Once again, THE VETERAN’S FOUNDATION has provided help that we would like to thank them for. This includes further funding towards our homeless work, the FARM THERAPY PROJECT we work on with my old RAF Regt colleague Jamie Quinn as well as the Winter Fuel Payment scheme for a second winter.
Due to very serious health conditions requiring regular hospital visits/treatments our Founder Tom Wood MBE finally stood down last July.
In April 2025 Trustee Andy Martin was awarded a South Yorkshire High Sheriff Community Award for his ten years working as a volunteer for the charity.
Although the end of the Mayoral year is mid-May, we would like to place on record now our deep appreciation to Rotherham MBC Councillor, Mayor Sheila Cowen ex WRAF for all the support she has shown to our charity this FY.
We were chosen as one of her charities for her mayoral year and though the final donation isn’t yet calculated it is likely to be a substantial amount due to her successful fundraising, which is amazing.
We have also been invited to the incoming Mayor of Barnsley’s installation, another ex-Soldier who it turned out served in Northern Ireland at the same time as our Founder Tom Wood MBE and we hope to enjoy a closer working relationship with the Armed Forces community and Barnsley council in the next financial year
In May we will push our BUY A BRICK campaign, articles in local magazines, newspapers and social media will help to spread the word to encourage the public to donate towards purchasing our emergency housing. We have also approached local TV and hope to get wider coverage and therefore support as a result of that publicity.
The final thank you goes to my new part-time assistant Amber Guymer-Hosking.
Originally 8 years ago she was a homeless veteran that we helped. Later she became an ambassador and last July I asked the Trustees to offer her a part-time role which she has thrown herself into with gusto. She has made a massive contribution taking a lot of work off my plate enabling me to concentrate on future strategy amongst the case work and all the administrative work needed to keep a charity operating correctly. She has walked the walk now that experience is channeled to help fellow veterans.
On a personal note, as I approach completing ten years in post as the CEO, I look back on all we have done with pride. We have not been afraid to adapt to overcome problems or try fresh ideas but the end result is that there are many hundreds of veterans are in a much better place because of our efforts. (over 1100 now since 2010)
If we can get the Buy A Brick Campaign to meet its aim and we get to purchase our halfway house that will up our game even more and it will be something permanent to be able to finally retire from with head held high.
Onwards and Upwards.
Steve Bentham-Bates
