North Warwickshire & Bedworth’s voice in Parliament Craig Tracey recently met with The Royal British Legion’s local Area Manager Ian Barber to discuss support for the Armed Forces community.
The Royal British Legion is the country’s largest Armed Forces charity, and provides welfare assistance for many thousands of veterans, serving personnel and their families. Craig attended a Legion event in Parliament to show his support for the charity’s work, and met with Midlands area manager Ian Barber to discuss current issues facing the Armed Forces community.
Legion research has found that the biggest issues currently experienced by working-age members of the UK ex-Service community include hearing loss and difficulty finding employment; among over-75s, physical health and care are among the most common problems. The Legion successfully campaigned for a £10m hearing loss fund, supports career transition through its Civvy Street website and delivers practical assistance through community outreach services and six care homes. A network of 16 high street ‘Pop In’ centres has also been developed to make it easier for beneficiaries to seek help.
Local MP Craig, who has voiced his support for the Charity Care after Combat in Parliament, commented:
“It was useful to meet with staff representing the Midlands from The Royal British Legion and learning more about the work being done in our community. This country is indebted to Members of the Armed Forces community who have made huge sacrifices in their service. I am proud to be able to support the work of the Legion in honouring the memory of the fallen and building a better future for the living.”
Ian Barber, the Legion’s area manager for the West Midlands, said:
“I was delighted to see Craig and we were grateful that he took the time to drop in. The Royal British Legion offers a range of welfare support all year round, and last year we answered over 450,000 calls for help. This latest parliamentary event offered a great opportunity to spread the word about the range of services we provide, and it was a pleasure to discuss this in detail with Craig”.