British Armed Forces veterans with PTSD will receive ‘life changing’ support in the form of assistance dogs thanks to a Veterans’ Foundation grant.
A £24,000 award will help Service Dogs UK to provide canine companions from ‘rescue’ to ex-service personnel who suffer with Post-Traumatic Stress.
The charity, with hubs in West Sussex, Somerset and Suffolk, enrols veterans on a free programme that lasts between nine and 12 months where they work together with their new best friend to achieve accreditation as a team, changing lives two at a time.
“The Grant will help us to meet the demand for our service in the areas that need us most,” said Garry Botterill, Operations Director at Service Dogs UK.
“As the demand for our ‘life changing’ service grows, it is vital that we can increase our ‘output’ so we can help even more veterans.
Without support from the Veterans’ Foundation this would not be possible. Without this funding, we would have to turn veterans away from our charity as we would not have the capacity to take them on.”
This increase in demand for support from Armed Forces veterans with PTSD is highlighted in the Veterans’ Foundation’s #PTSD100 campaign, a century on from the first ever government report into the mental health of service personnel.
Throughout 2022, the VF will be giving grants to charities just like Service Dogs UK, who play a huge role in helping veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress live a better life, as well as championing fundraising challenges, funding pioneering research and raising awareness of the growing issue at the heart of #PTSD100.
Service Dogs UK, as the only ADI accredited PTSD assistance dog charity in the UK, is at the forefront of the charge to support those who have paid a high price for their service and Garry was grateful for the Veterans’ Foundation’s support in helping them to provide hope and comfort for those who are struggling.
“We know what we do works and that we can ‘change lives two at a time’ but this grant ensures that we can support more of those that need our help,” he explained.
“We are delighted and grateful to receive this grant from the Veterans’ Foundation and all those that play the Veterans’ Lottery, they are making a real difference to veterans who need our help and support."
"Thank you, Veterans’ Foundation, for your support and to all that donate and play the Veterans’ Lottery.”
This grant is one of 50 awarded by the Veterans’ Foundation in the last round of grants, totalling a huge £1.1 million – the first time the Foundation have given a seven-figure sum in a quarter.
It means that the Veterans’ Foundation have now given over £9.1 million in grants to more than 290 UK-based military charities since inception in 2016.
All of the grants are made possible by generous donors and the players of the Veterans’ Lottery, who not only support our veterans in need, but also are in with a chance to win £35,000 every month.
To play the Veterans’ Lottery and contribute to helping many other brilliant causes just like this, click here.
To find out more about Service Dogs UK and their amazing work, please visit https://www.servicedogsuk.org.
