“Ronnie”
My role at the Beacon is a Specialist Support Worker (SSW) for Training Education and Employment. I have just completed 24 years service in the Scots Guards and just finished as the Regimental Sergeant Major at the Army School of Ceremonial at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick. During my Service I served in the first Gulf War in 1991, completed 3 years active service in Northern Ireland and Iraq in 2004-2005.

The Beacon is supported accommodation for Ex-Servicemen and Women and we have 31 self contained apartments, a training and Education Centre and a Health and Well Being centre located within the building. Other facilities we have on site include, a Gym, IT Suit, Communal areas, an audio and visual suit, a training bakery, garden allotment, coffee point, multi function room. My employer is Riverside English Churches Housing Group (ECHG) which is one of the largest supported housing groups in the country. The Beacon was funded by Riverside, MOD and various other service charities.

The Veterans can stay here for a period of 18 months and during that period their support workers identify their needs and put together a support plan so that at the end of their 18 months they are in a position to move onto secure accommodation, employment and have the correct support in place.

My role as the SSW is to identify their previous qualification and employment history and put a plan in place to help them back into employment at present I have managed to get 24 out of the 31 Veterans back into training and education courses.

I aim to send 2 Veterans per month onto the Remount course in order to help them set clear objectives for the future and help them to identify new strategies to help overcome the symptoms of stress and depression and help build a purpose for the future. I have also been promoting Remount to other organisations since I took over this role in September and will continue to do so.

Many of our Veterans have complex needs and would be unsuitable to send on the Remount course due to serious alcohol dependence as was experienced on the last course. I am now working closely with the support workers to identify the post suitable Veterans to send on future courses.

The age range is 18-51 at present we have 2 female veterans and a large number of Veterans suffering with PTSD.

If you have any further question please give me a call on 01748 832042