Veterans First Point Ayrshire
Organisations
Aircrew Association
20 Priestley Way
Burnham-on-Sea
TA8 1QX
Tel: 01278 773954
Open to all UK serving and retired military aircrew to assist those in need of financial
help and to record the unique experiences of aircrew.
Armed Forces and Veterans Association
Prestwick & Troon Branch
4 Manson Avenue
Prestwick
KA9 1EZ
Contact: Mary Devlin
Tel: 01292 738748
The Armed Forces & Veterans Association provides comradeship and social activities
to veterans, serving personnel and their families. It can provide a welfare officer
to assist with all matters pertaining to veterans, serving personnel and their families,
including directing them to the appropriate organisation that is best suited to
their needs. The HQ can provide motorised scooters where needed.
Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen
Shield House
Harmony Way
Off Victoria Road
London
NW4 2BZ
Tel: 020 8202 2323
Promotes and celebrates the history of Jewish servicemen and women. Operates a museum
in London and holds a national conference. Lists awards given to Jewish ex-service
personnel.
British Commonwealth Ex-Servcices
Haig House
199 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1AA
Tel: 020 3207 2413
Helps ex-servicemen and women who served from throughout the Commonwealth and who
are now in need. Benevolence monies are dispersed to beneficiaries across the Commonwealth
through a network of ex-service organisations.
British Limbless Ex-Serviceman's Association (BLESMA)
185/7 High Road
Chadwell Heath
Essex
RM6 6NA
Tel: 020 8590 1124
Aims to give support to ex-servicemen and women who either lost limbs, the use of
limbs, or one or both eyes as a result of service in any of Her Majesty's Forces
or Auxiliary Forces. Provides a counselling and caring service and help with every
day problems.
Ex-Service Fellowship Centres (Veterans Aid)
40 Buckingham Palace Road
London
SW1 0RE
Tel: 020 7828 2468
Aims to relieve distress among ex-servicemen and women, including the merchant service,
and their widows or widowers who are unemployed, homeless, or for some reasonable
cause, in need.
Free Veterans
Helpline: 0800 022 3366 or 0800 077 6858
Website:
www.veteransscotland.co.uk
Gardening Leave
Contact Anna Baker Cresswell
Tel: 01292 521444
E-mail: info@gardeningleave.org
Based at Auchencruive and throughout the country, Gardening Leave aims to bring
together ex-servicemen and women who have been living as civilians for some time.
Using the ethos of horticultural therapy, veterans with mental health troubles will
benefit by improving their social skills, motivational skills and personal skills,
health and fitness. The garden is intended to provide structure, routine and exercise
which may be missing from the veterans life at present.
Hands for Heroes
Contact Joy E. Gill DC MMCA RGN
Timoney Chiropracter
Tel: 01292 287827
Website:
www.joyofchiropractic.co.uk
Free chiropractor care for war veterans – by appointment only.
Officers' Association Scotland
New Haig House
Logie Green Road
Edinburgh
EH7 4HR
Tel: 0131 557 2782
Exists to relieve distress among all those who have at any time held a Sovereign's
Commission in HM Naval, Military or Air Forces and their wives, husbands, widows,
widowers, children and dependants. Includes Reserve, Auxiliary or Territorial Forces.
Must be resident in Scotland.
Poppy Scotland
Unit 15
15-39 Durham Street
Kinning Park
Glasgow
G41 1BS
Tel: 0141 427 8490
E-mail:
enquiries@poppyscotland.org.uk
Website: www.civvystreet.org.uk
Through Poppy Scotland you can access details of Poppy Breaks – holidays for (mainly)
disabled ex-servicemen and women. Services reflect the financial, practical and
emotional issues people face today and are available to virtually everyone with
a service connection. Some are more appropriate for those currently serving, some
for those who have served and there are those which apply to everybody.
Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA)
Ayr & Prestwick Branch
Contact: Bob Chandler, Secretary
Tel: 07720 840278
E-mail:member@chandlerra.freeserve.co.uk
Contact: Sean Whitelaw
Welfare Oficcer
Tel: 07545 474320
E-mail: whitelawsycm@aol.com
Provides friendship and welfare support to serving and ex-serving members of the
RAF and their families. Offers a wide range of welfare services that include home
and hospital visits from a volunteer field force; long-term residential care; short-term
convalescent and respite breaks; sheltered housing; resettlement advice and advice
on war pensions.
Along with colleagues from the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund support is available
for members of the ex-RAF community as well as those currently serving. Whether
you have left the service to change careers or you've retired, it will help provide
solutions to problems that are welfare-related, whether they be practical or financial.
SSAFA Forces Help
Open: Monday to Friday, 10am to 12 midnight.
Contact Iain Brown/May Piggot
Tel: 01292 478103
Fax. 01292 47539
E-mail: ayrshire@ssafa.org.uk
You and your immediate dependants are eligible for help if:
- You are currently serving.
- You have served one paid day's service in any
of our Armed Forces.
- You have completed one year's service in the Reserve Forces, one day's service on
operations or you have done National Service.
- You served one paid day in the Mercantile Marine including the Korea, Suez, Falklands
and Gulf operations.
- You have completed one year's service in the Association's Nursing and Welfare Service.
- As a UK citizen, you have received one day's pay while stationed overseas as part
of the Armed Forces and for a period ending no more than six months after your return
to the UK.
We are happy to advise you and provide guidance on who else you could approach if
you are not eligible for our support. The defnition of an immediate dependant includes
anybody, regardless of age, who is clearly dependent on the eligible person. The
following are all classed as eligible dependents: husbands, wives, former spouses,
widows, widowers, children and partners (including same sex partners) where residency
and stability can be demonstrated.
Children are defined as being under the age of 18; or over the age of 18 but in
full time education without being classed as a mature student; or over the age of
18, but mentally or physically and learning disabled and dependent on the eligible
person.
Royal British Legion Scotland (RBLS)
Troon Branch
Contact: Andy Girvan, Chairman
Tel: 01292 318854
E-mail: rugsdoctor@aol.com
Ayr Branch
Contact: John McPhail, Chairman
Tel: 01292 610279
Monkton & Prestwick Branch
Contact: Ron Merrilees, Secretary
Tel: 01292 287513
E-mail:
ronmerrilees@btinternet.com
Shirley A Harris, Vice Chairperson
Tel: 01292 474549
E-mail:
hshirleysheeppatr@talktalk.com
The main aims of the RBLS are: to care for all veterans as well as serving personnel
and their families; offer welfare services and if appropriate liaise with other
organisations; Remembrance, welfare and comradeship; and to provide assistance and
enable relatives and next of kin of injured servicemen and women living in Scotland
to have easier access to their loved ones while they are being treated in hospitals
in England.
Royal British Legion Scotland – Women's Section
Ayr & Prestwick Branch
Contact: Peggie Middleditch
Tel: 01292 265549
Shirley A Harris Tel: 01292 474549
E-mail: hshirleysheeppatr@talktalk.com
The RBLS Women's Section deals with women both ex-service, serving and families.
It is a separate auto- nomous organisation and has its own national council
The Forces Family Support Centre
Yeomanry House
Chalmers Road
Ayr
KA7 2JQ
Contact: Sarah Hunter, Chairperson
Tel: 01292 531092
E-mail:
forcesfamilies.ayrshire@yahoo.co.uk
The Forces Families Support Centre is for the families and friends of the Armed
Forces (Royal Navy and Air Force), Regular, TA Reserves/Non Reserve personnel living
in south west Scotland.
War Widows Association
199 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1AA
Tel: 0845 241 2189
A pressure group to improve conditions of war widows and their dependants in Great
Britain. The War Widows Association also represents those who have suffered the
loss of their partner in peacetime, when the death was attributable to their service
life.