A local golf club in North Wales has raised over £3,000 for veterans’ charity Launchpad.

The Men’s and Ladies Captains from the Vale of Llangollen Golf Club nominated Launchpad and Alzheimer’s Society (North & Mid Wales) as the two beneficiary charities for their Captains Charity Day 2023, which was held last May.

Last week, both Captains presented a cheque to the charity, which provides accommodation and targeted support to UK Armed Forces’ veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment.

A total of £6,046 was raised on the day which included an 18-hole golf competition, raffle and an auction. All money raised was split equally between the two charities.

Collecting the cheque on behalf of Launchpad was Gary Perriton, Business Development Manager North West who also lives in Llangollen. He said:

“We are very grateful for this donation which will contribute towards supporting homeless and unemployed veterans at Speke House in Liverpool. As a charity, we rely on personal and corporate donations to enable us to continue to deliver the service our veterans need to support them on their journey to move on and live independently.

 

“We have a great relationship with the Club and held our inaugural corporate golf day there last September and will be hosting it again this year. We appreciate the support from both club Captains, their members and all those who participated in the competition.”

Susan Wallace, Lady Captain (2023) at Vale of Llangollen Golf Club, said:

“Every year the Captains’ host a Charity Golf Day for their chosen charity(s). When Gary spoke to us about Launchpad and the service they provide to veterans who are struggling with the transition from the military to civilian life, we had no hesitation in supporting this wonderful charity. No veteran who has served their country and put themselves on the frontline should become homeless. We hope this donation will help towards the service they provide.”

Last year, Launchpad’s Speke House provided accommodation and support to 81 veterans. On average, over the last five years, 56% of veterans supported by Speke House have successfully moved on and 28% left in paid employment.

Speke House comprises 50 self-contained, one-bedroom flats for former serving personnel and their partners. Launchpad has three houses in the North of England in Liverpool, Newcastle and Durham providing accommodation for 101 homeless veterans – accepting veterans from all over the UK.

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested

Veterans’ charity Launchpad has welcomed two new significant appointments to its Liverpool team to extend and further strengthen its support to homeless veterans.

The charity, which provides accommodation and targeted support to UK Armed Forces’ veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment, has welcomed Patrick Donaghue and Donna Thomson to Speke House in Liverpool.

Patrick has been appointed as an Employment and Training Specialist to support residents by gaining the necessary skills and training they need to secure employment.

He will support up to 50 veterans at any one time, who are living at the house and seeking employment by engaging with training specialists, colleges, and corporate partners by matching their skills and supporting them into work.

He joins the charity from his previous role where he worked as a Mental Health Stepdown Recovery Worker supporting patients on their road to recovery and helping them to integrate back into society.

Donna has been appointed as an Independent Living Co-ordinator to support the residents once they have moved on from Speke House and to help them successfully transition to living independently.

She joins Launchpad from her previous role where she worked as a Women’s Centre Support Coach/Keyworker for a housing association. Donna has experience of working with vulnerable adults, supporting them by developing personalised action plans for long-term accommodation and resettlement and helping them to sustain and manage their finances, and explore education, training and employment opportunities.

At Speke House, she will be responsible for supporting Launchpad’s veterans by linking them with a variety of external partners and providers to support their needs, enabling them to thrive and avoid falling back on hard times. This tailored support will help them access the benefits they are entitled to as well as help them to manage their finances, secure their tenancy, gain support for their mental health issues and wellbeing, as well as encouraging them to find employment.

Donna’s role is being funded as part of the government’s Op FORTITUDE programme – a pathway to reduce veterans’ homelessness. Last year, Launchpad was selected by the government as one of nine funded organisations to reduce veterans’ homelessness. The programme will see Launchpad support 230 homeless veterans over two years from all three of its houses.

Sam Jackson, Manager of Launchpad’s Speke House, said:

“I’m delighted to welcome Patrick and Donna to our growing team – these are both significant appointments for Speke House. They both bring with them the skills, knowledge and experience that will help to enhance our service delivery and the support we provide to our residents.

 

“We provide tailored support to each resident, focussing on three core pillars: mental health and wellbeing, employment and move on. Both Patrick and Donna’s roles will complement each other. Experience shows that once residents secure employment, it gives them something to focus on – some structure and stability. This then gives them the confidence to move and live independently which is our ultimate priority.”

Last year, Launchpad’s Speke House provided accommodation and support to 81 veterans. On average, over the last five years, 56% of veterans supported by Speke House have successfully moved on and 28% left in paid employment.

Speke House comprises 50 self-contained, one-bedroom flats for former serving personnel and their partners. Launchpad has three houses in the North of England in Liverpool, Newcastle and Durham providing accommodation for 101 homeless veterans – accepting veterans from all over the UK.

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness visited Avondale House today to meet staff, residents and some of our partner organisations to have a tour of the house and learn more about the support we provide to veterans. We are looking forward to working with her in the future.

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested

Launchpad’s Speke House in Liverpool has benefitted from a donation of £8,000 from the B&Q Foundation.

The funding will be used to provide an outdoor multi-gym in the communal area for residents to use and the installation of an outdoor canopy at the entrance of the building to provide shelter for residents and visitors.

The improvements will benefit all 50 residents who live at the house, which provides accommodation and targeted support to UK Armed Forces’ veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment.

The B&Q Foundation supports registered charities with a combination of grants, volunteering time and home improvement resources. It concentrates its efforts on local charities helping to create better, safer places for people who need them most.

The house benefits from an extensive outdoor communal space and once installed, residents will be able to enjoy free, unlimited access to gym equipment, which will also encourage them to socialise and engage in physical activity.

Staff at the house will also invite external fitness agencies to plan programmes for the residents to boost their mental health and wellbeing.

Due to the high volume of people visiting the house daily, a canopy at the entrance of the building will not only give the entrance better kerb appeal, but it will also benefit residents and visitors and provide shelter from bad weather.

Rob Lockyer, Facilities Manager at Speke House, said:

“We are very grateful to the B&Q Foundation for providing this donation, which will considerably improve the house and benefit all residents and their visitors.

 

“Some of our residents can’t afford a gym membership and some are too self-conscious to go to a gym, so this will remove those barriers and it is also a positive step to boosting their motivation, fitness and improving their mental health. Having an outside gym will also let people use it without disturbing other residents.”

The new canopy and outdoor multi gym will be installed at the house in the coming months.

This is the second donation that Speke House has received from the B&Q Foundation. The charity donated £5,000 in 2020 to contribute towards extending the communal kitchen facilities at the house.

Speke House comprises 50 self-contained, one-bedroom flats for former serving personnel and their partners. Launchpad has three houses in the North of England in Liverpool, Newcastle and Durham providing accommodation for 101 homeless veterans – accepting veterans from all over the UK.

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested

Up to fifty North East veterans have received a boost ahead of Christmas thanks to Ryder Architecture and Hydrock.

Staff from both organisations visited Launchpad’s Avondale House on the Byker estate in Newcastle upon Tyne earlier today to hand out Christmas gifts to each veteran living at the house.

The gifts were funded through money raised at this year’s Oktoberfest event, which was held in October. The veterans were also treated to a Christmas buffet, a full dinner and activities have been organised for residents living at Avondale House and Launchpad’s Hollyacre House in Sacriston, County Durham.

Ryder’s Oktoberfest returned to Brinkburn Street Brewery and veterans’ charity Launchpad was one of three North East charities to benefit from all money raised on the evening, which amounted to £10,000. Newcastle Cat and Dog Shelter and Newcastle United Foundation were the other two nominated charities.

Now in its sixth year, the event sponsored by Hydrock and Ward Hadaway saw a room full of guests enjoying an evening filled with traditional German food and drink and live music by local band, Groovetrain.

Charitable funds were raised with guests participating in a raffle and silent auction. The event is a huge success and has raised over £50,000 for various charities since it was first held in 2013.

Hydrock nominated Launchpad as their designated charity to benefit on the evening. In return, the charity invited staff from Hydrock and Ryder to see at first-hand the support the charity provides to veterans who have struggled to cope with the transition from military to civilian life.

Phil Thompson, Manager of both Avondale House and Hollyacre House, said:

“We are very grateful to Hydrock for nominating Launchpad as their chosen charity at the Ryder Oktoberfest event and for us to benefit from some of the proceeds that were raised.

“It’s been great to be able to give them a tour of the house and explain how we support our veterans but also for them to meet staff and some of the veterans themselves who have benefited from their generous donation.

“As a charity, we rely on personal and corporate donations so to receive a cheque for £3,333 is amazing and means so much to us. Christmas is a difficult time for a lot of our residents, especially those with families, so we wanted to brighten their Christmas by organising some gifts and treated the residents living at both houses to a buffet, a full Christmas dinner and some activities that they could all participate in.”

Chris Chennell, Regional Director – North East at Hydrock, said:

“Hydrock was proud to sponsor the Ryder Oktoberfest, an event that raises significant funds for local charities.

“Our choice to support Launchpad, a charity that helps transition veterans into civilian life, has significant meaning to our colleagues who are proud members of the ex-forces community.

“A fantastic £10,000 was raised for three great charities so it is nice to have the opportunity to visit Avondale House and meet the staff and residents but also hand out some Christmas presents.”

Avondale House comprises 33 self-contained one-bedroom flats for former serving personnel and their partners. Launchpad has three houses in the North of England in Newcastle, Liverpool and Durham providing accommodation for 101 homeless veterans – accepting veterans from all over the UK.

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024!

Latest News

Read more about Merry Christmas!

18th December 2023

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our Trustees, staff and residents, we’d like to wish you a...

View all News

“If I hadn’t reached out to Op FORTITUDE, I probably would be dead if not from suicide, then probably natural causes from sleeping out in the cold. Launchpad has been a saviour for me.”

Read More >

Sign up for the latest news and stories.

I'm Interested