Building Stronger Futures for Older Veterans - taking our voice to the Senedd

Building Stronger Futures for Older Veterans, taking our voice to the Senedd

On Tuesday 7 October, members of Age Cymru Dyfed and Age Cymru travelled to the Welsh Parliament to share the work of our Building Stronger Futures for Older Veterans project.

The team, including Jim Glass, Owen Dobson and Heidi Holland from Age Cymru Dyfed, along with Rhian Morgan from Age Cymru and Emma Eynon from the Fantom Factory, met with politicians and parliamentary staff to introduce our new eLearning course. The training aims to help people and organisations better understand the experiences and needs of older veterans in Wales, and to give them the tools to offer the right kind of support.

The open meeting was a fantastic opportunity to talk about the challenges that older veterans face, and to show how raising awareness can make a real difference to their wellbeing and sense of belonging. We were delighted by the level of interest and the number of conversations that took place throughout the day.

One of the most encouraging moments came from our discussion with Sarah Murphy, the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, who invited us to return to the Welsh Parliament soon to brief a wider group. This will include health professionals and organisations working across mental health and wellbeing, giving us a chance to share the project’s impact even more widely.

We would also like to thank Joyce Watson and her team for making it possible for Age Cymru Dyfed to have a platform within the Welsh Parliament. Their support helped us bring the voices of older veterans directly to decision-makers.

This visit marks another important step in raising awareness and understanding of the needs of older veterans in Wales.

Next stop: the Houses of Parliament in November, where we’ll continue our mission to champion and support older veterans across the UK.

Find out more 

To learn more about our Building Stronger Futures for Older Veterans project and access the free eLearning course, visit the Age Cymru Dyfed website.