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A veteran from Bexhill, East Sussex, has met with his MP as part of a call from Help for Heroes for the public to show its support for men and women who have served their country.
Steve Gallagher joined the army at the age of 17 and served for five years. This included a tour of Bosnia, where he saw friends killed and was himself blown up. He’s been supported by the Charity for complex PTSD and chronic pain and is now an Ambassador for the Charity. Steve is an active campaigner for veterans and met with Dr Kieran Mullan, MP for Bexhill and Battle, along with Councillor Paul Peters last week, to raise concerns about the support that veterans receive.
Steve said: “Too many veterans are facing a constant battle to get the support they need after service. They’re struggling with accessing grants and benefits, health services and housing. They feel they’ve been discarded.
“Every day five men and women are forced to leave their careers in the military due to injuries and illness as a result of their service. It shouldn’t be a postcode lottery in terms of whether they get the support they deserve.
“That’s why I wanted to meet with my MP, to ask him to join our campaign and to take a message to his party and the government, that now is the time to show commitment to improving the lives of veterans.”
Now is the time to show commitment to improving the lives of veterans.”
Help for Heroes Ambassador
We are calling for four key improvements: better healthcare, financial security, consistent access to support, and a society that fulfils its duty to veterans. And are asking people to add their names to The People’s Promise to Veterans.
Kieran Mullan MP said: “It was a pleasure to meet Steve and hear about the challenges facing veterans and what more we can do to help. I know my constituents will want me to do whatever I can do to help because we owe so much to our veterans. We have agreed some areas to focus on going forward and in the meantime, I will carry on attending events and visiting local charities supporting veterans. We are lucky to have a wide range of services to support people locally but there is always more we can do.”
Steve added: “With the push to expand our armed forces because of an increasingly unstable global picture, if we don’t get this right now, we’re sleepwalking towards a crisis. Charities like ours, as well as other public services, will be under increasing strain to try to fill the gaps. If we don’t get this right now, how on earth will we be able to recruit the service men and women we need to protect us?”