Major government funding has been secured to establish a new Cumbria-wide initiative to support the Armed Forces community.
The Cumbria VALOUR-recognised centre will bring together coordinated support for serving personnel, reservists, veterans, their families and carers, helping ensure the Armed Forces community can access the advice and assistance they need.
A consortium of partners, led by Westmorland and Furness Council, has successfully secured £497,907 of funding over three years from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) within the Ministry of Defence.
The Cumbria centre will be based at 5 Corney Square, Penrith, with support delivered across the county through existing facilities and outreach provision.
Funded partners will provide military-informed support on key issues such as health, housing and employment, helping members of the Armed Forces community access the services they need through a coordinated, partnership approach.
Built around a "No Wrong Door" model, the VALOUR-recognised centre will ensure beneficiaries receive holistic assessments, coordinated support plans and tailored referrals, helping people navigate services more easily and reducing the risk of individuals falling through gaps in provision.
The funding will help address challenges experienced by the Armed Forces community across Cumbria, including rurality, social isolation, service fragmentation and barriers to accessing support.
Through joint working between partner organisations, the centre will enable people to access support in ways that best meet their needs, including through community-based services, outreach provision, digital appointments, telephone support and home visits where appropriate.
Specialist partners will help people navigate mental and physical health services, improve wellbeing, find work or training, secure housing and overcome financial difficulties.
Outreach services - across the county in Barrow, Carlisle, Grange, Kendal, Whitehaven and Workington - peer support activities and social connections will help tackle isolation, while referrals will ensure individuals receive the right support, from the right organisation, at the right time.
The VALOUR programme will include funding for services from Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS), Healthier Heroes CIC, One Vision Uniformed Services, The Royal Hospital Chelsea and Carlisle United Community Sports Trust.
The bid, led by the council’s Director of Law and Governance and lead officer for the Armed Forces Linda Jones, was supported by Cumberland Council, Cumbria Combined Authority, University of Cumbria, Cumbria’s Lord Lieutenant, the county’s five MPs and many others.
Westmorland and Furness Council was one of only 20 new lead organisations awarded funding through the second wave of VALOUR-recognised centre funding, further expanding the growing network of support across the UK.
Westmorland and Furness Council Leader Cllr Jonathan Brook welcomed the funding announcement as a major step forward in care and provision for Cumbria’s Armed Forces community.
Cllr Brook said: "We are delighted that Cumbria has secured significant funding for a VALOUR-recognised centre. This investment will strengthen support for serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families across the county.
“As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to ensuring that those who serve, or have served, and their families are treated fairly and have access to the support they need. Our own Cumbria centre will build on that commitment by bringing partners together to provide more coordinated, military-informed support across our communities."
Cllr Vicky Hughes, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Active Wellbeing and the Armed Forces, said: “This is welcome recognition of the need to strengthen support for our Armed Forces community. Securing this funding through a highly competitive process is a fantastic achievement and reflects the hard work of partners across the county.
"We know that while there is excellent support available, there is more we can do to understand and respond to the needs of serving personnel, veterans and their families. The Cumbria VALOUR-recognised centre will help us better identify those needs and ensure people can access the right support at the right time, wherever they live in Cumbria.”
Colonel (Retd) Chris Sanderson OBE JP DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria, said: “Having served for 30 years in the Armed Forces and been closely involved in the welfare of veterans in Cumbria for the last 14 years, I welcome the establishment of the VALOUR centre in Penrith and am delighted at Westmorland and Furness Council’s success in securing funding for this much needed resource.”
Following confirmation of the funding award, consortium partners will begin implementation planning, with further details on service delivery and timescales to be shared as the project develops.