Working to support the military community

Project at a glance – Royal British Legion

Duration: July 2024 – March 2026

Investment: £988,000

Current spend: £510,200

Forecast SROI: £18.34

Highlights

339 customers with benefits and income maximisation advice. With an average increase in finances of £3,530 per person.
617,575 customers with energy efficiency advice.
452,934 customers with PSR advice.
14,693 customers have signed up to the PSR.

Project at a glance – Trafford Vetrans

Duration: April 2024 – March 2026

Investment: £105,557

Current spend: £54,062

Forecast SROI: £6.00

Highlights

1,550 customers with income maximisation advice, including accessing statutory benefits, PIP, applying for veterans cards and support with securing accommodation.
1,550 customers with information on the efficient use of appliances and behaviours.
140 CO conversations have taken place. These conversations have resulted in at least one emergency call following a CO alarm alert..

There are currently over 180,000 UK Armed Forces personnel, with the veteran population in England and Wales estimated to be around 1.85m. Many of this community suffer from health, welfare and social issues.

Why we’re working together

They also face financial hardships and many also face common social problems including loneliness, adjusting to civilian life, social isolation and difficulties with relationships.

This is why we are working with two charities that support armed forces personnel to receive the support they need. The Royal British Legion (RBL) and Trafford Veterans (TV) provide both practical and emotional support for veterans who struggle to engage with existing services.

How we’re working together

While these charities are very different in size, the customers they support face the same challenges and our funding provides them with the training and tools to offer information about the services we can offer to support their customers.

RBL are supporting users of their advice service and their families by upskilling their specialist advisors on CO, the Priority Services Register (PSR), and energy efficiency awareness.

They also share messages across their social media platforms, Legion membership magazine, ensuring they reach as many of their community as possible.

At TV, we fund a full-time staff member and contribute to the running costs of the mobile hub. We also volunteer at their breakfast club, encouraging members to engage with the support available.

The monthly breakfast club along with the weekly food parcel deliveries collectively support over 100 individuals. These include families and partners of those who have died or are in social care.

Project impact and learning

These projects have allowed us to reach an underserved community with much needed help and support.

We’ve also established a link between our Military employee community and RBL to work together.

We’re proud to work in partnership with Cadent on this impactful initiative. Through Cadent’s expertise, our casework teams have developed a valuable hub of information offering guidance on energy efficiency, CO safety, and how to register for the Priority Services Register. This resource is enabling us to better support our beneficiaries, helping them keep safe and warm in their homes. We look forward to strengthening our partnership, which helps us reach more members of the Armed Forces community when they need us most.

Ben France

Head of Corporate Partnerships, RBL