Oxfordshire Branch Newsletter July 2017

Charity number 210760 email: mikemogridge@yahoo.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________________

News from On High

SSAFAmail a secure and dedicated email address will be delivered through Microsoft Office 365 – for all volunteers and staff.  The introduction of SSAFAmail will provide a number of benefits, including:

Recognition of the important role our volunteers carry out as the public face of SSAFA. A single consistent email format, e.g. joe.bloggs@wiltshire.ssafa.org.uk, will project a

professional image - formally identifying all members (whether staff or volunteer) as part of the SSAFA family. 

Our clients are reassured that if they are providing their personal information, it's to a trusted organisation. 

Personal and sensitive data is managed and stored in a secure environment, meeting our requirements as part of the Data

Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and prepares us for GDPR - new data protection legislation that will come into force from May 2018. 

It's one single place to support your volunteering role, with access to your SSAFA email, all the resources on SSAFAnet and online training. All via a single login – so just one password to remember.

Additionally, Office 365 provides you with the following: You can access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, without having to purchase or download any

new software, so you can create, view and edit documents via your preferred web browser and on any device. 

A dedicated OneDrive storage area for each user. Perfect for your SSAFA related documents, ensuring they are stored securely and without using up memory on your personal laptop/PC/iPad. 

Team Sites - a group space where each branch or service committee can share local information and documents with their members.

The pilot will ensure that the delivery of SSAFAmail for nearly 7,000 volunteers and staff is well managed. Following this, we will be able to confirm the process and timescales for the full rollout.Look out for further details in the coming months, as we welcome the introduction of SSAFAmail across the organisation.Sue PillarDirector of Volunteer Operations

What is the Veterans’ Gateway?In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced £2 million of funding from the Covenant Fund for a one-stop service to better support British Armed Forces veterans in need. The service responds to calls from veterans’ charities and groups for

help in navigating the wide range of services and organisations set up to support those who have served in the Forces. The service will be the first point of contact for veterans and their families to access information, advice and support on a range of issues including healthcare, housing, and employment. It will allow information and services from partners to be accessed from one place and all enquiries will be followed up to ensure that veterans receive the right support. The Veteran’s Gateway will provide website, online chat, phone line and text message services available to any veteran, from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Veterans can access face-to-face support through the Veterans’ Gateway network of partners and organizations, of which SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity is one, across the UK and overseas. News articles for the veterans community. The news section on the Veterans’ Gateway website is being regularly updated by the consortium team with interesting news for veterans and for Veterans’ Gateway . The Forces Pension Society recently supplied an article regarding unclaimed Service pensions and received more than 40 enquiries in response. Please contact the Veterans’ Gateway team with any news stories you like included; enquiries@veteransgateway.org.uk Why is it needed? More than 2,000 charitable groups currently offer help to veterans, but they can prove difficult to navigate. By having a first point of contact, the Veterans’ Gateway team will be able to quickly work out which of the partners is best placed to help with the information, advice and support required.Who is working on it? A consortium of military charities including The Royal British Legion, Poppyscotland, SSAFA (The Armed Forces Charity), and Combat Stress, and service provider Connect Assist is managing the contact centre. A wider group of 22 referral partners from military and other charity sectors have currently signed up to be a part of the Veterans’ Gateway. This means that the service will offer advice and support on a broad range of issues and from a multitude of providers . Further referral partners will continue to be recruited after the Veterans’ Gateway launches. The helpline will be run by Connect Assist located in South Wales and staffed by skilled advisers, many of whom we hope will be veterans or family members with experience of Service life. When will it launch? The Veterans’ Gateway went live on 3 April 2017 .

Oxfordshire News

Abingdon Air Show

This report from Sue Doran seen below, with two future fliers, who is not only a full time SSAFA Caseworker at RAF Brize Norton but also a Branch caseworker for South Oxfordshire Division. It just goes to show what can be done if you have boundless energy. WELL DONE SUE

“The day went well with the tombola being a huge pull in. The stand was most definitely busier than last year as we were placed at the entrance. We gave out some goodie bags so all around SSAFA was being displayed. I ran a children’s colouring competition which meant individuals had to re visit to bring back the completed pictures. I had some very positive feedback from parents and grandparents alike. I recruited a volunteer for Worcester and I have another new contact for Abingdon which I need to get the correct details for. She is a wife of a soldier in Abingdon, so a good link. Interestingly while

setting up on Sat the military families were allowed in for free, so Gary and I spent about 3 hours talking to families from Dalton Barracks who were very grateful for some SSAFA goodies as all other stands were not open. I felt it was a great day and my three military volunteers! RAF Sgt! Cpl Royal signals and 1 CPL RLC were fabulous. We did not make much money but I would say many more individuals are aware of SSAFA. We also had many stories of thanks including a person just out of prison, who was supported by SSAFA.”

Branch Treasurer Frank Whiting is recognized at OCVA award ceremony. Few people have deserved recognition for voluntary service than Frank Whiting. He has been our Branch Treasurer

for over 30 years and seen the Branch through numerous changes in the financial organization and reorganisation of SSAFA’s financial systems. On Tuesday 9th May he was presented with a certificate and medal in recognition of outstanding voluntary service with SSAFA for charitable work by the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Mrs. Jane Cranston at the Oxford Town Hall. Here he is seen with his daughter Angie complete with certificate and medal. OCVA Awards (Oxfordshire Charity and Volunteer Awards) are presented every year to outstanding individuals and charities in the County. It is quite humbling to experience the number of charities and volunteers who are there to help others The Archway Foundation giving support to those hurt by loneliness

is a fine example. Like Frank all giving their valuable time completely without remuneration.

Thames Valley Police support SSAFA initiative

This is a message sent via Thames Valley Alert. This information has been sent on behalf of Thames Valley Police

Message sent by

Olivia Healey (Police, Comms, Forcewide)

We have today (6/7) launched a service that provides support for members of the Armed Forces community to prevent re-offending. The Armed Forces Referral Service aims to help reduce crime, rates of offending and re-offending by providing better access to support for veterans and their families that come into contact with the police. Thames Valley Police is one of the first forces in the UK to launch a service that provides members of the Armed Forces’ community with opportunities to access practical support from SSAFA, the oldest national military charity, upon coming into contact with the police through either welfare or criminal incidents.  TVP Armed Forces Referral Service Lead, PC Antony Colton, said: “Anyone who comes into contact with TVP and who is identified as having any links with the British Armed Forces will be offered the opportunity to be referred to SSAFA, a charity that offers practical, emotional and financial support to

serving personnel, veterans and their families. “The purpose of this service is to better support our Armed Forces community whilst helping reduce crime and rates of offending and re-offending. “The Armed Forces Referral Service will make it easier for them to get the support they need, from organisations and charities best able to provide it. “No matter how complex their needs, working together we can do more.” Julie McCarthy, Director of Volunteer Operations, SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, said:  “Working with Thames Valley Police will ensure that we will be able to provide support to more veterans and their families who find themselves in the criminal justice system.  “SSAFA is extremely grateful to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund for providing a grant to support a wider SSAFA project working with veterans and families in the criminal justice system. We hope this project will help with the rehabilitation of veterans and in turn lower re-offending rates.” TVP are holding a live web chat on 18 July between 6:30pm and 7:30pm where anyone can ask questions to a panel from TVP regarding the Armed Forces Referral Service. Join the session, go to: thamesvp.coverpage.coveritlive.com/. For more information on TVP Armed Forces Referral Service visit:- Thames Valley Police Website - Facebook   - Twitter    

Forthcoming Events 2017

Carols and Readings on Sunday 3rd December at the Chapel at Radley College, Radley

A bit of advance warning so please have your diaries to hand and make a note of this year’s Service of Carols and Readings on Sunday 3rd

December at 6.30 p.m. to start off 2017’s Christmas Festivities.

We have been particularly fortunate and are delighted to have been offered as our very special venue the Chapel at Radley College, Radley,

together with their choir and organist. In addition we have the added bonus of the Waterloo Band, 7 Rifles and as if that isn’t enough to make the evening truly memorable, we are hopeful that the Military Wives Choir will be there as well. Following the concert, there will be wine and a festive nibble across in the Blue Room of the Mansion. Invitations will be sent out by early October and tickets will cost £15.00. However if you would like to register your interest before then please email vickitalbot16@gmail.com (apologies for not using my SSAFA email address in this instance but it is changing sometime very soon). 6 tickets have been reserved so far and only another 444 left!

Vicki Talbot, Fund Raising Committee

Branch AGM 2017 A very successful AGM was held in the Marlborough Room at Blenheim Palace by kind permission on His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. Fifty eight people attended among them representatives of many of the other Military charities with whom we cooperate such as the RAFBF, ABF The Soldiers Charity, Help for Heroes, and TRBL

The Branch Secretary’s ReportLast year I reported a drop in cases of 13% on 2015. I am happy to say that in 2016 we have reversed this figure with an increase of 8% on the previous year to 242 cases started and worked on. Due to the excellent CMS Reporting system I can also tell you that the trend continues and as at today we are 19% up on the same period in 2016. It is difficult to explain whether this is due to increased demand overall or our own actions in improving awareness. Certainly national advertising from Central Office has been more pronounced this year which will no doubt have contributed to awareness. We focused our own local advertising last year and indeed this year, largely to magazines that reach the medical community and those whom they serve in hospitals and doctors surgeries. Our referrals from NHS sources have doubled and continue to increase this year. There has been a drop in money almonised however. Whilst this is due in part to some high profile amounts the previous year it is mostly due to a change in demand away from EPVs, riser beds and stair lifts, all high-cost items, from 30% to 14% of needs. Housing needs also declined to 30% from 39% of total costs.

The rise in demand was mostly accentuated in general needs such as Children’s needs, clothing and food coupons. This rose from 8% to 18% of needs. These all are generally low cost per case items. None the less we raised £165,755 in support of beneficiaries

So far as the Oxfordshire role call is concerned we now have 34 trained Caseworkers with 4 awaiting training and 4 Visitors. The average number of cases per Caseworker is 7 cases of increasing complexity. Central Office has been active in creating interest from prospective volunteers but more must be done to speed up the process of committing and training those who answer the call.

The average age of our Beneficiaries rose from 55 to 62 and the in-service beneficiaries from 8% to 13%. This in part reflects the declining number of retirements from our Military bases in the county.

Whilst SSAFA Caseworkers do the hard graft by assessing beneficiary needs and contacting Charities we rely almost solely on other charities to support those financial needs. The major military supporters by value were The RAFBF 36%, ABF The Soldiers Charity 13% and TRBL 8%. Having said that contributions were made from a host of Regimental Charities who would have been funded by ABF The Soldiers Charity. Our thanks to them all for their help.

Beneficiaries were referred to us from a mixture of other charities and local government bodies. As I mentioned the NHS has registered a positive growth. I think this is still understated as we are receiving calls from OT specialists who do not come under the NHS banner but are readers of the same medically centred magazines. The major movement of referrals is from Service Welfare Officers which has grown from 6% of total to 19%.

I mentioned last year the growing call for non financial help. AgeUK and other charities are campaigning vigorously to combat loneliness and this is also true of the ex service community. Whilst other charities can and will give financial help SSAFA is the only Military charity which can send a surrogate aunt to relieve the loneliness of an ex Army wife who cannot cope with the comparative loneliness of civilian life. The needs of older ex service pensioners in this area are no less acute.

This will result in two consequences: Firstly the role of the SSAFA Caseworker will become more all embracing and the need for Visitors will grow. This will mean different training needs because the role of a visitor is more than just calling for a chat. Similarly the knowledge of where to signpost

beneficiaries will need to be included in the Caseworkers’ repertoire and the need for the caseworker to hold hands during the process will be even more necessary.

SSAFA Central Office are about to announce a Visitor course with this in mind and also a modification to CMS to measure non financial trends.

So the challenge for SSAFA Oxfordshire will be how to adapt to the role of the BEST FRIEND for the Service Community because ONLY SSAFA CAN DO IT.

Chairman’s remarks I would like to reiterate the President’s welcome to the non-SSAFA guests it’s good to see you all and it’s so important that the charities work together to help beneficiaries.Congratulations To Frank Whiting who was awarded by the High Sheriff “the individual award for outstanding voluntary service in Oxfordshire”. Great news and richly deserved after 30 years exemplary work with SSAFA. As spoken about by Mike, SSAFA has a new National Chairman and Controller.Military Situation 7.5% of all regular forces are in the County of Oxfordshire,1500 Reservists,49% of all RAuxAF,3 Army Reserve sub units RMR Troop in Oxford, approximately 5600 dependants (of Regular forces) We estimate there are 30000 eligible veterans and dependantsWhat have we achieved?

Greater awareness and Reaching out to potential Beneficiaries.Veterans in the Justice System Close and formal links with the Thames Valley Police (TVP).Some problems but none insurmountable and being addressed. Close and formal links with the CRC Probation service. We are working on establishing link with the National Probation Service. An active Prison in Reach link with HMO Bullingdon. Approximately 5 eligible people seen each month but most being passed to other Branches.

A Huge thanks to Doug Hewitt who set the arrangements up and developed them.Microsite Now up and running and I recommend you visit and support it. Thank you to Phil Caswell for setting it up and running the day to day aspects.

Gurkha Teaching has been a great success with an average of 41 students, both men and women, attending on a weekly basis. It has been going on for the last 17 months with 3 terms a year. It is very hard work, particularly for the teachers with classes every Tuesday for 3 terms a year. A huge thanks to the teachers, two of whom, Glennis Morris and Cindy Beaumont, are with us tonight. We have had two PR successes with BBC South Today and BFBS, both in the UK and Nepal. In addition there was a very successful visit to Broughton Castle in March which showed the Gurkhas another side to life in, and history of, Britain. It was enjoyed by all although some of the translation proved rather stressful.AwarenessThe same message as before - we need more awareness of SSAFA. It is being addressed by Central Office but we need to do more at a local level.We have to: Identify people and their families who need, or might need assistance in some form; Identify people who are prepared to volunteer and not only as caseworkers; Bring in younger volunteers. But this does bring other challenges for them with the balance of work and volunteering.Welfare The detail has been given by Mike MogridgeCaseworking has become more complicated We have younger beneficiaries with greater expectations and demands both from the beneficiary and also some of the almonising organisations.Divisions The basis of all we do. All the Divisions are well run, thank you to all the Divisional Secretaries who meet the demands in full and give a huge amount of time and effort to ensure things

work well. A special thanks to Eve Magee for standing in as the North Oxfordshire Divisional Secretary. My thanks to all volunteers for their work and enthusiasm.Finances. We are lucky and in a very good position as outlined by Frank Whiting.Fund RaisingFund RaisingA huge thanks to the Katherine Turner Trust (KTT) for their support which enables us to do so much; particularly to Mark and Lucy Turner. At the recent Executive Meeting we decided, subject to agreement from the KTT, to allocate some money to the National Chairman’s Fund particularly: The Norton Homes; Adoption Service; Forcesline; Gildea HomesWe held one major event in 2016, a Reception at Broughton Castle which was a great success. Congratulations to the FRC and all those involved.Looking forward: It is planned to hold a Carol Concert this year at Radley College linked to one of the Radley military charities. There is considerable work going on to commemorate the end of the First World War.Thoughts: We must strive to achieve greater awareness of SSAFA, including by those serving and their families; To achieve that we need to establish closer links with the military – we are not very good at this within the County; There are too many service charities, with over 2400 linked to COBSEO. This has to reduce and enable focus. The current situation is inefficient with duplication, in-fighting and wasted effort. This results in loss of people both potential beneficiaries and volunteers.Thanks To the Duke of Marlborough who has allowed us to use Blenheim – we are so lucky to be able to do so, As ever Mike Mogridge who has, once again, run the Branch with huge efficiency and provided advice to all, as well as establishing very strong links with Central Office.Sue Pillar for making the time to come to the AGM. We will hear more later from her. Most of all, though, to you all and all the Volunteers without whom SSAFA is nothing and would not function.Conclusion; As last year – “spread the word” about SSAFA – what we do and how we do it.

Address by Sue Pillar Director of Volunteer Services

Sue gave the meeting an update on the strategic thinking at Central Office and confirmed that Loneliness was indeed very much in the thoughts of the Central Office management. The need to register non financial cases was still very much in the planning at Central Office

Retirement of the Branch Secretary General Sir Sam Cowan announced that Mike Mogridge who has been Branch Secretary for over 16 years will retire this year. He said we have been fortunate in that David Quick the Training Officer has agreed to take on the role of Branch Secretary and the takeover would be completed by September of this year. He also gave his thanks to Mike for his contribution over the 16 years he has held the position with the following remarks.

“This is Mike’s last AGM as Branch Secretary. He has been our Branch Secretary for 16 years – and how fortunate we have been to have him. He has done a great deal for the Branch and for SSAFA as a whole. We were all thrilled when his efforts on our behalf were recognised by the award of a British Empire Medal in the 2015 New Year Honours List. Seldom has an award been more merited, or more acclaimed by all who know him and know how tirelessly he has worked for the Branch and for SSAFA as a whole. He has started the handover which will be completed by September at the latest, and I will say a word about his successor shortly. Not to put too fine a point on it, Mike has not just been the face of Oxfordshire SSSAFA but, in a way that everyone in this room can understand, he has been Oxfordshire SSAFA. By his knowledge, efficiency and enthusiasm, and by his business-like approach, he has made us the professional and well respected branch that we are. He brought Oxfordshire into the computer age both on CMS and FMS. He has established extraordinary good links with Central Office to the extent that he is one of the first ports of call for them if they seek advice from volunteers. .He has provided expert advice to all on a wide range of subjects and, I am

told, specifically on Form A. At a personal level, he has been the greatest personal help to me, and working with him has been a great joy. And what can I say about his fantastic work on the Newsletter?! And typical of the man, he has said he would like to continue as a Caseworker which is great news. Mike, thank you! It is hugely reassuring to know that you will still be part of the team”

Letters

Good afternoon,

I am the Additional Needs and Disability Advisor based in SSAFA central office and just wanted to get in touch regarding one of our services, the Forces Additional Need and Disability Forum (FANDF). We have recently updated the FANDF’s leaflets, webpage and the Additional Needs and Disability Guide so I thought I would distribute this information to yourselves in case you come across any families or individuals who may benefit from the service.

The FANDF is a tri-Service support group for family members who have a child or adult dependent with an additional need and/or disability or have an additional need and/or disability themselves. The FANDF provides families and individuals with an opportunity to discuss ways of ensuring that children and adults with additional needs and/or disabilities have access to the best support from MOD and other professional bodies. Membership is free and provides: The Additional Needs and Disability Forum (PDF attached); The FANDF e-Newsletter; An opportunity to attend our free biennial conference at the MOD and other regional FANDF events; Information on topics of interest via email and the webpage  (web link below).

The link to our webpage is below which has information on how to become a member. https://www.ssafa.org.uk/fandf I hope this information is useful.

Kind regards, Frances Robinson, Short Breaks Leader and AN&D Advisor SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity Tel. 0207 463 9315

Essential services: getting extra help

Services such as gas, electricity, water, phones and public transport are not luxuries. We need them every day to look after ourselves, and if you’re older, ill or have a disability, or you’ve suddenly found yourself in vulnerable circumstances, you may have particular needs. This leaflet tells you about free services that can give you extra help. Your phone: Free directory enquiries. If you struggle to look up a phone number because you’re visually impaired or have another disability, tell your phone company. They can make Directory Enquiries free for you. Making calls clearer. If you are deaf or have difficulty speaking, there’s a service that can translate phone calls into text on a smartphone, tablet or computer. It’s called Next Generation Text. Visit www.ngts.org.uk Calling 999 by text message. If you’re deaf or speech-impaired, you can call the emergency services by sending a text message. You need to register your mobile phone before you can use the service. Visit www.emergencysms.org.uk Running your phone account. If you need help managing your account, for example to make sure bills are paid on time, you can nominate a friend or family member. Ask your phone company about ‘Third Party Bill Management’. Faster fault fixing. You may depend on your home phone because of ill-health or a disability. If so, your phone company can give you priority if there’s a problem with your line. Ask them to put you on their ‘Priority Fault Repair’ list. Easier to follow bills and contracts. You can ask for accessible formats such as large print or Braille

Post Free post for blind and visually impaired people. You can send books and letters in braille, large print or audio, and mobility aids such as white canes, first class and free of charge. Packages must be unsealed, marked ‘Articles for the Blind’, and show a return address. Visit www.royalmail.com/personal/uk-delivery/articles-for-the-blind

Something about nothing

While golfing, Mike accidentally overturned his golf cart. A very attractive lady golfer, who lived in a villa on the golf course, heard the noise and called out from her porch, "Are you okay?" "I'm okay, thanks," He replied as he pulled himself out of the twisted cart. She said, "Come up to my villa, rest a while, and I'll help you get the cart up later. He noticed she had a nice svelte figure. "That's mighty nice of you," He answered, "but I don't think my wife would like it." "Oh, come on now ", she insisted.  She was so pretty, and very, very persuasive. And he was weak. "Well okay," He finally agreed, "But I'm sure my wife won't like it." After a couple of Scotches, he thanked her and said, "I feel a lot better now. But I know my wife is going to be really upset. So I'd better go now." "Don't be silly!" she said with a smile . "Stay for a while. She won't know anything.--. By the way.., where is she?" He replied: *"Still under the cart!"*

 

The Kathryn Turner Trust Charity ShopUnit 3, Suffolk Way, Abingdon, OX14 5JX

(On the small industrial estate off Drayton Rd and opposite Caldecott Rd)

The shop is open daily from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm

Selling: All types of furniture--Prams--PlaypensLadies Gents and children’s wear

Shoes , Books, DVDs, Records, CDsBric-a-Brac, Toys, Games, Jigsaws

ALSO

We are happy to collect unwanted furniture by arrangement

All sold in support of

Volunteers to man the shop and sort donations are urgently neededPlease call 01235 527310