At a Board meeting on 24 April, Craig officially handed over the role of Non-Executive Chair to Ed Hall.
Craig remains fully committed to FWPs future work, as a Trustee, Head of Campaign and our Memorial Officer. As FWP moves into a new era, Ed will add his own experience, leadership style and vision to deliver the next chapter in our mission. Some of you will have met him at RUSI when he chaired our Panel event on compensation, or in the Phoenix Arts Club on 24 April, or you may know him from elsewhere, perhaps from his time with Rank Outsiders and forming the Legal Challenge Group to get the ban lifted. Ed says:
“30 years ago, I was an angry young man, whose chosen career in the Royal Navy had been cut ludicrously short in 1988 when I was sacked for being gay. In finding a group of like-minded (and similarly damaged) men and women in the 1990s I found some stability, and made unique and lasting friendships. I also found the energy to create and lead the Armed Forces Legal Challenge Group, the organisation that would ultimately, along with contributions of many others, lead to the ending of the ban.
“I have watched the progress of Fighting With Pride with interest and emotion, and I am so impressed by what Craig Jones and Caroline Paige have achieved. The organisation has grown from scratch in just 4 years to become a vital part of the veterans’ community, and has won our community tangible progress with the Etherton Review and the apology from the Prime Minister.
“I hope to bring the skills I have learned in a long business career to help lead Fighting With Pride as it pushes the government over the last few hurdles to achieving reparations for those damaged by the illegal ban, and to ensure that the charity becomes a long-term source of tangible support and fellowship for LGBT+ veterans.
“Many people were damaged for life by the ban, it’s vital that the government meets the Armed Forces Covenant and ensures that no LGBT+ veteran feels that support is not available for them. I look forward to working with the Trustees, and with the team of community support workers, and alongside Craig who will continue to lead our campaigning.”
