I've raised £200000 to Refurbish Nuneaton Veteran Contact Point
Organised by Balfour Beatty
Story
The Nuneaton Veteran Contact Point (VCP) is a free and confidential space for veterans and their families in Coventry and Warwickshire. It has been created, staffed and run by veterans, for veterans. The area is used by all military disciplines, including the Armed Forces, Infantry, Navy and RAF etc. The facilities are also used by local community groups in the area.
The volunteers, alongside others charitable groups, offer a range of support and services. They offer space, advice and guidance where required. Some of the services available include interview skills, recruitment, homing the homeless, IT skills, Combat Stress sessions and general support for the Veterans and their families returning to civilian life.
The current facilities are in need of refurbishment. The building, formally part of a school, is run down, cold, inefficient, inaccessible for the disabled, has poor lighting, poor use of space and lack of storage.
Balfour Beatty is a member of the Armed Forces Covenant and is engaged with a wide range of partners to assist in recruiting Armed Forces and Veterans. Balfour Beatty is committed to providing support in the local area and want to give something back to the community.
They have got over 400 people already utilising the centre, the facilities are not the greatest in the world and hopefully as we put a new centre in place we will get other people to come and join. You sit and talk to the people here, the volunteering work they do and it’s very humbling. What we’ve got to try and do is provide a service for those people in terms of payback really, for the things that they do for us on many fronts.
Dean Banks , CEO UKCS, Balfour Beatty
The goal is to refurbish the VCP facilities and the project will be run and supported by Balfour Beatty, its employees and supply chain. Through fundraising, employee volunteer days and utilising the skillset of Veteran volunteers, Balfour Beatty aim to provide a warm, spacious and economical space for Veterans and the local community. The project will also raise further awareness for Veterans, the VCP and thus encourage support and funds towards the VCP and sourcing local jobs for the Veterans.
I think the work the Contact Point and its volunteers do is astounding ‑ with so little resources but tons and tons of goodwill they help where others don’t seem to be able to.
Len Hardy , Founder , Nuneaton Veteran Contact Point
