Once again we joined the Remembrance Day ‘Train of Poppies’ commemoration. Chair of Trustees Charles Weston-Baker, Head of Welfare Fiona Cameron Green, Head of Operations Mike Last and Fiona's husband Kev placed a wreath on behalf of our beneficiaries and staff on the early morning train from Newton Abbot to Paddington. It’s good to see this project growing each year and is an appropriate way for veterans in the South West to connect to the celebrations in London. 

7 of our veterans are now signed up to the Dartmoor 100, each counting the miles til they complete a sponsored 100 miles of moorland walking.  So far we've received nearly 50 donations, totalling about £750. And there's no time limit so always room for more walkers. Contact us on [email protected]

ON TARGET....
 

After many ‘women only’ events under our Project Artemis banner, we held our first men only event at Ashcombe Airgun Club, in the woods near Haldon Moor recently.  And what a great day it was! Their staff and volunteers made our guys feel very welcome as they kept the brews, banter and bacon sarnies coming.  New friends were made and laughs a-plenty were had with veterans reporting that confidence was rising while both blood pressure and stress levels were coming down. A repeat visit, for both male and female veterans, is definitely in our sights for next year.

CHRISTMAS SERVICE

This year’s Veterans Carol Service will take place at Emmanuel Church, Plymouth PL3 5BZ on Friday 12^th December at 1830. It’s a  special community-led service bringing together veterans, serving personnel, their families, and supporters from across Plymouth to celebrate the season, reflect on the year, and honour those who serve. Following the service, guests are warmly invited to join the Improving Lives team for mulled wine and seasonal refreshments, offering an opportunity to connect with members of our local Armed Forces community. More information from www.improvinglivesplymouth.org.uk

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING

A mention for one of our veterans, David Allwright, who is running a service recycling old electronics items such as mobiles, laptops, tablets, digital cameras, computers and numerous other electrical items. Valuable metals and reusable components are being sold with all proceeds going to veterans charities, including Veterans Outdoors. David assures us that all data is destroyed and the non-recyclable elements are responsibly disposed of.  You can reach David at [email protected]

We’ve a full programme of events lined up for the winter (see below) with more to be added. If you’d like to register for any of them please contact Bernard at [email protected]