New fund to support our veterans and cadets

Bury Council has today launched a support fund to assist veterans and cadets in the borough, fulfilling a budget commitment made earlier this year.

Bury has a proud military heritage as a Fusilier town and its association with local cadet groups and veterans communities, and the council recognises there are specific challenges locally, including:

• the impact of the current closure of the Drill Hall in Bury
• the legacy of Covid on people’s wellbeing and connections
• ongoing financial and broader social pressures as a result of cost-of-living effects.

A £20,000 support fund has now been made available, with applications open to local voluntary and community groups that support cadet and veteran communities in Bury, to provide financial resilience and fund new schemes.

Groups can apply for up to £2,500 to support:

• Increasing opportunities for cadets, veterans or both to engage fully in local life in their neighbourhoods
• Opportunities for cadets, veterans or both to connect with each other through peer networks
• Initiatives to address financial and other barriers to taking part in cadet or veterans related activities
• Mental health and wellbeing provision specifically addressing individual circumstances and the lived experience of veterans.
• Schemes which will increase the financial resilience of cadet or veteran households both in terms of immediate hardship provision and longer-term resilience, e.g. increased income from skills development, retraining or improving digital literacy and access to digital resources
• Initiatives which celebrate the role of cadets and veterans within the heritage of Bury, celebrating our past and present to inspire our future.

Councillor Richard Gold, cabinet member for finance and communities, said: “I’m delighted to confirm the details of opportunities to support local veterans and cadet communities in the borough. As a proud Fusilier town we recognise the strong links with our armed forces communities across the borough.

“We’ve set up and funded this scheme in keeping with our ‘Let’s Do It!’ approach to support and develop activities to maximise opportunities and reduce barriers to engagement for veterans and cadets in Bury.”

The application form and guidance to apply for the fund is available at: www.bury.gov.uk/my-neighbourhood/veterans-and-cadets-support-fund

The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 7 August 2023.

Information about wider support to the veterans community is available through:

https://www.bury.gov.uk/armed-forces-personnel/health-and-wellbeing-support-for-armed-forces-personnel

and

https://www.bury.gov.uk/benefits/lets-manage-tough-times(specific support listed for veterans) or call 0161 253 5400 to discuss Cost of Living support.