The Bridge for Heroes is proud to unveil Operation Mirror providing specialist support to veterans of the armed forces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The operation has been in planning for the last month and in that time, they have developed complex decontamination procedures, specialist training as well as continuing to provide support to their beneficiaries in the meantime remotely.

The Bridge for Heroes made a decision early on in this pandemic, not to cease operations and furlough their staff as many others have done, but instead adapt and innovate their services to provide crucial and at times critical support to their beneficiaries. Operation Mirror is highly diverse and flexible, responding to the needs of the beneficiaries at the current state. Support such as:

Phone support - Staffed helpline for incoming calls, and dedicated outgoing welfare calls

Low-Risk and High-Risk house visits - Carried out by highly trained and IPC equipped SAM response teams

Supply drops - providing decontaminated crucial supplies to those who are in isolation

Video conferencing and Remote Activities - managed video chat rooms for our beneficiaries to socialise and communicate, as well as hosting live cookery workshops, art lessons, religious activities such as Sunday morning church service, mindfulness and more

Veterans Community Channel - a dynamic and free channel with news, advice and other information about Operation Mirror as well as hosting a variety of remote activities

The model combines our extensive experience in support services, integrated with specialist training and the adaptability of being able to carry out house visits, with our teams following infection prevention and cross-contamination procedures developed with the help of a retired British army Nuclear, Biological and Chemical instructor. The Bridge for Heroes aims to ramp up their services gradually responding to demand, with an anticipated capacity of supporting over 1000 beneficiaries every single month.