RCET Receive £15,000 Grant from Veterans’ Foundation

We are delighted to announce that we have received £15,000 from the Veterans’ Foundation over two years towards the salary of our Children & Family Support Co-ordinator, Karen Stock.

Our Children & Family Support Service exists to support predominantly veteran families who are struggling to cope emotionally and financially ensuring that their children are able to reach their full potential at school & in life.

CEO Colin Flinn has said, “We are delighted to have received a grant from the Veterans’ Foundation at arguably one of the most critical times for our sector. The grant from the Veterans Foundation will help RCET to deliver our vital Children & Family Support Service which supports predominantly veteran families with a range of different financial supports. At the moment our focus is rightly on our Coronavirus Crisis Fund which seeks to support any Armed Forces family that has been financially impacted by COVID-19 with emergency support. However, we look forward to over the next two years implementing further projects which will provide wider supports to veteran families and their children allowing them to reach their full potential in life. We are grateful for the public’s support of the Veterans’ Foundation and its Veterans’ Lottery which will make this Programme of work possible.”

The Veterans Foundation has been set up to help fund charities who are helping serving and former members of the Armed Forces, and their dependents, who are in need. Funds raised for these projects come from the Veterans’ Lottery and other donations. To date the Foundation has given £2million out in grants to 140 organisations, of which RCET is very grateful to have become one.

Our Children & Family Support Service has the following strands:

School Children’s Fund which supports families who cannot afford them with school uniforms & after-school activities.

Crisis Intervention Fund which supports families who are struggling to provide basic necessities such as food, utilities, beds & bedding and general children’s clothing. This is the only fund we are currently running as we respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. We will be relaunching the other funds as soon as it is safe to do so.

Family Time & Young Carers Respite Break Fund. Families with chronic or life-limiting illness & Young Carers are able to apply to organise a respite break within the UK.

College & University Support Fund which supports students from an Armed Forces background to attend College or University by supporting their living expenses. Children from an Armed Forces background tend to go onto Higher Education less than their civilian peers so this is an important step in helping to bridge that gap.

The grant will also support Karen to introduce new initiatives which will provide further support to Armed Forces families over the next two years.

Applications to the Crisis Fund can be made directly to RCET by calling 0131 322 7350 or by emailing [email protected]. You can also make an application via your local SSAFA branch who may be able to put you in touch with other funders who can also help you.