Veterans Supporting Veterans
chair of trustees & vcn service director
Dr Gill Le Page
HOw VCN Came to be
Like many ideas, the seeds for VCN were sewn several years ago as a result of a close family members struggles with service-related PTSD and alcoholism. It took many years for them to acknowledge that their service in Northern Ireland in the mid 1980’s had a profound impact on both them and close family members. What followed was a series of treatment appointments, failure to engage and ‘case closed’. This showed a clear lack of understanding by the professionals involved in the treatment and care package. It wasn’t a lack of motivation or willingness to change on the part of the family member. Simply put, although the services were there, they were inaccessible for them. Guilt, shame, not being listened to or understood about the issues they had, all acted as barriers to engagement. Sadly, this is not a unique story by any means.
vcn Peer mentors
Through my previous work, I was privileged enough to learn the value of peer mentor support (individuals with lived experience) in getting people into treatment and supporting them to stay there as well as providing support in other areas of need. So the idea of training veterans as peer mentors to provide this valuable support and ‘bridge’ into treatment and support services was ‘hatched’. I was fortunate to meet MK and Bedford Armed Forces Covenant Project Manager, Johanna Hrycak (JJ) early in 2019 who ‘got’ the vision and shared the same passion as I had in supporting those who have served.
vcn today
VCN took its first steps as a Community Group in November 2019 supported by a steering group made up of VRFM’s (Veterans, Reservists & Family Members). In November 2020 VCN became a registered charity covering Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Today, we are continuing to grow as a charity, having supported over 250 VRFM’s, employ two part time staff members and trained 4 peer mentors so far, with another 6 now waiting to complete the training.
I would like to thank everyone who has been part of the VCN journey so far. It’s you who has made it possible for local veterans to continue to support local veterans.
HOW THE VETERANS COMMUNITY NETWORK CAN HELP YOU
These days, there is so much help out there for veterans and their families that it can be difficult to know exactly where to start. Making phone contact can sometimes be difficult and frustrating if you can’t get through on a help line or feel as if you are being sent around in circles. VCN will never just sign post you to one of these agencies. We have developed personal relationships with all of our partners and from this joined up working, we offer a monthly drop-in Hub. This ‘one stop shop’ approach means that VCN can immediately connect you with the professional who is able to support with issues such as housing, benefits, employment mental health and social isolation.
Our Services
The Veterans Community Network is a new community group working across Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Bedfordshire. The aim of the group is to train veterans as peer mentors and then connect them with local veterans and offer support.