Veterans Can...

Not many people know that Dave Saint- Valen was a 3rd century Roman Army Padr e and his hard work, in and out of uniform, is commemorated around the world every February the 14th. When Dave left the Army he settled in his last posting location in the north of England and became a clergyman in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Several years later Dave was martyred for protecting persecuted fellow Veterans. “Forget about it” were his last words apparently. Fair enough.

This man, like many others cut down in their prime, never made it to become a Veteran. If he had however, we think he’d have been a good one - and would not have wanted the world to feel sorry for him or those like him. He’d have smashed life as a Veteran! #VeteransCanShow

A little while ago we told Dame Joanna Lumley about our Veterans Can... Deliver: The Fallen of Afghanistan activity and she was thrilled. It's fantastic to have her support.

“Veterans Can… Deliver” It’s not only a fact, but it’s also how we refer to the output and impact of our CIC. “Veterans Can… Deliver: The Fallen of Afghanistan” is a collective thank you, from the Veterans Can… community, to Kevin Wills for the dedication and commitment he has shown by painting the portraits of all 498 British and Australian military personnel killed in operations in Afghanistan. Not only has Kev painted the portraits, he’s framed them, got in touch with family or friends and made sure they, or a chosen other, receive his portrait with sincere thanks. Kev has almost completed this mammoth task, and last year Garrath Williams offered to raise funds and help him finish strongly. So in May, Kev will travel with Hari Budha Magar MBE FRGS and Christopher Jelf to Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal. There, supported by Johnny Fenn from The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Kev will present the portraits of the fallen Gurkha soldiers to the Memorial Museum in Pokhara before meeting with family members, former colleagues, Veterans and other esteemed members of the Gurkha community. This will allow Kev to complete a commitment made in 2021 - and it will be quite a trip! All funded by members and supporters of the Veterans Can… community who wish to say thank you and demonstrate, that, without doubt - Veterans Can...

Veterans Can… Golf is back at The Belfry Hotel & Resort on Thurs 18th Sept. Team, individual and sponsorship opportunities available. For more info and a sign up link see comments.

We’ll be holding a ballot soon for Veterans Can… members who’d like to join us for an exclusive, members only, evening at The Tower on the 1st May. If you’d like to come along for a tour, a visit to The Keys Club and a prime spot for The Ceremony of The Key make sure you register, subscribe and then enter the ballot that will open on the 1st March. #VeteransCanLockIn #Beefeater #TheTower

Have you joined the Veterans Can... community yet? https://lnkd.in/eqeFFs7n Some are put off by the pay wall, but like the old days, we can help drag you over to the other side and towards the finish line - and when you've done that you'll feel a sense of achievement! Not only that, you'll get your membership pack, exclusive invites and offers, you'll have a vote in what we do, and be part of the positive change we’re all driving. What's not to like?! See you on the other side! #VeteransCan

Veterans Can… Golf is back at the Belfry on 18th Sept. Please get in touch if you’d like more info. https://lnkd.in/e8bm-rrC

Late last year the Veterans Can... community voted to allocate the inaugural “Veterans Can… Deliver” Small Grant to Thomas Burgess and Adam Gornall from Save A Warrior UK CIC to support the delivery the second cohort of their sadly necessary programme. Today Garrath Williams and James Roberts will represent the Veterans Can… community while visiting the SAW team and the 10 Veteran delegates setting out on this voyage of personal discovery. Our model is a simple one. We pledge that at least 70% of what comes in, goes out, on our Veterans Can…Deliver projects. To make it more transparent and tangible to our members, they nominate and decide the project their funds go towards. The VC… community decided SAW UK should receive £5k in November - and they did. #VeteransCan #VeteransCanDeliver #VeteransCanHaveasay

This what it’s all about! Nice work Simon Towe Assoc CIPD MCMI. #VeteransCanShow Who’s next?! Join us - we’re going, good for goodness sake. www.veterans-can.com