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Charity Is "Open For Business" To Support Veterans On Isle Of Wight

CEO of Veterans Outreach Support Ian Millen

A charity which offers the "personal touch" to veterans and their close family members on the Isle of Wight say they are very much "open for business".

Portsmouth based charity Veterans Outreach Support (VOS) came to the Island in 2018 because the demand for its services proved evident. 

A report at the time revealed the Island was one of the most popular places in the country for veterans to reside.

11,000 veterans and their families were based on the Island. But the charity believes that number has increased.

VOS was set up on the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War by three Royal Navy veterans and a nurse - whose son was a paratrooper and tragically lost his life in the conflict - on his 18th birthday.

Like many other charities and businesses, because of the pandemic volunteers have had to change their tact from delivering drop-in services at the Riverside Centre - to offering online and over the phone support.

More than 170 Islanders were said to use the face to face service in Newport to speak to the charity’s experts.

CEO of VOS and ex-Royal Navy veteran, Ian Millen told Isle of Wight Radio:

“We’ve grown now to a situation where we have got over 1,000 registered users, 40 different delivery partners, more than 30 volunteers and the Isle of Wight operation…

“You can turn up at our door - ask to speak to a mental health professional and you will see someone that day, we are able to offer help quickly and give people whatever help they need... We will always take a view on the need that presents before us.”

The support VOS offers includes:

  • Drop-ins on the third Wednesday of each month at the Riverside Centre for those needing welfare, wellbeing, and mental health support
  • Addiction support from trained professionals - daily appointments 
  • Social groups such as ‘Brew, Butty and Banter’ where you sit down with a cuppa and a biscuit to have a natter
  • Group activities and classes in things like painting or creative writing 

A year before the charity arrived on the Island in 2017, it was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the equivalent of an MBE for voluntary organisations.

Asked what Ian’s message to Islanders is, he said:

“The pandemic has obviously changed the way that we do our business, it’s been a bit of a strategic shock for us in many ways that the very thing that made VOS stand out amongst many of the charities across the country - looking after veterans was our personal touch and our face to face…

“The pandemic has changed that and we had to shift an awful lot of our stuff online and over the phone….We are very much open for business, we have been on the Island since May 2018 and we are building our numbers helping more and more people…

“The worst thing that could happen is there is someone out there who needs help - we’ve got the help - but we don’t know where they are or they don’t know we exist."

To contact the charity you can email or [email protected] or call the office on 02392 731767 

You can Listen to Ian Millen speaking exclusively to Isle of Wight Radio here Ian Millen

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