Home Secretary Suella Braverman joined a Help for Heroes’ coffee morning in her Fareham constituency, for a “constructive and cordial” discussion with veterans who told her of some of the issues they face.
The coffee morning – part of the Armed Forces charity’s regular recovery event programme for veterans – was hosted by Westbury Manor Museum, West Street.
Before sitting down to chat with veterans, Ms Braverman thanked them all for their service and praised the Charity for the work it carries out.
She listened intently to the experiences of local services and veterans provision – including accessing services at the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall – and concluded the meeting by confirming four issues she would take away and explore further in her role as constituency MP.
Afterwards she said:
“I’ve had a good hour or so hearing from some of our local heroes. Fareham has one of the highest numbers of veterans in the country, a reflection of our close links with Portsmouth and (HMS) Collingwood.
“It was very useful to meet a group of veterans and hear their experiences about getting access to support and healthcare. I’ve got a list of instructions to take from them as there are some really serious issues that have been raised here. I’m here to do them justice.
“I’m really proud that we have a dedicated veterans’ minister in government who sits in cabinet – Johnny Mercer – who is passionate about fighting and getting a better deal for veterans.”
Help for Heroes’ interim CEO, James Needham, who attended the meeting, added:
“We were grateful to Ms Braverman for generously spending more than her anticipated time talking to veterans and representatives from the Charity. It was a very constructive and cordial meeting and covered several issues important to veterans, including our call for the reinstatement of the Veterans Mobility Fund.
“She confirmed she was taking away a number of points raised to look into, and we look forward to working with her and her colleagues in a constructive and beneficial manner moving forward.”
Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service. The charity helps them, and their families, to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 27,000 people and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.
