The noun ‘rehabilitation’ comes from the Latin prefix re meaning ‘again’ and
habitare, ‘make fit’; a perfect description for what the charity FirstLight Trust does.
The media is full of pictures of the
Invictus Games; of Armed Forces
personnel undertaking extraordinary
feats of physical prowess. The Armed
Forces, after all, are renowned for their
physical fitness, and for many of those
who have lost limbs, part of their lives,
the road to recovery is defined by
physical fitness and success in that field.
Hard fought and hard won.
But rehabilitation is not only about
physical fitness. For many of the veterans
that FirstLight supports, getting out
of bed and facing the day is in itself a
massive achievement. And the charity
understands that, for veterans, ‘again
make fit’ manifests itself in as many
different ways as there are veterans.
Quite simply, FirstLight Trust supports
veterans from all over the UK to ‘again
make fit’. In Scarborough the charity
has become ‘point’ for veterans.
The police, probation, local housing
associations, councils, SSAFA, and RBL all
refer into the charity. A comprehensive
assessment is carried out, and then the
next steps agreed with the veteran –
whatever those are. It can be finding
housing, solving debt issues, assisting in
making GP appointments, CV writing,
job hunting, or, and most importantly,
empathetic support and a chat over
a brew. The miracle of a chat over a
large mug of tea should never be underestimated.
In fact, so important is that
ability to communicate over a brew, and
offload concerns, or have a joke, that
every drop in that FirstLight provides has
a café – named Sharpes after the hero
of FirstLight’s patron, Bernard Cornwell
OBE. And whilst great coffee and good
tea is not a panacea for all ills, the fact
that there is a café/shop that is veteran
friendly and open at least 6 days a
week creates a bond of security and
trust. Combine that with an emergency
phone line manned 24/7 and veterans
who contact FirstLight know that their
concerns will be addressed.
FirstLight is currently Yorkshire-based,
with a hub in Scarborough, and another
being created in Redcar. The intent is
to create a national network of support
at grass-roots for those ‘hard to reach’
veterans who have often fallen through
the charitable net. As the charity is
needs based, the aim is to create hubs in
places where there is little that is ‘joined
up’ in the way of veteran services. Each
hub will consist of a charity shop/café or
coffee bar, and offices with workshop/
support facilities. The charity aims to
be as self-funding as possible – and the
charity shop not only provides income
and a vital, visible portal on the high
street but also provides access into local
communities. This local knowledge is
vital to the charity’s work. Being based
within a veteran’s community is vital
to supporting their rehabilitation and
enabling them to become part of the
life of that community by accessing its
services, support and social life. All of this
work would be impossible if it were not
for all the other agencies and services
that FirstLight works with to deliver the
thousands of pounds worth of services it
accesses on behalf of its veterans.
There is no point in re-inventing the
wheel except where it is broken or there
is a gap (and FirstLight does that by
funding what is not available). The
problem for many veterans is that they
have no idea where to access these
services. By creating an accessible,
veteran friendly point on the street,
on the web and by working with other
agencies, FirstLight can facilitate that
access and assistance. And, what is
more, it then follows it up. Additionally,
and somewhat unusually, FirstLight
supports all veterans, including those
from the Reservists as well as the
Emergency Services, those who have
signed up for one day, the dishonourably
discharged and those who self-medicate
on drugs and alcohol. FirstLight will
work with rehabilitation centres, trauma
centres, detox centres and the
probation service. It will do whatever
it takes to support those who simply
don’t know where to go or what to do –
for them FirstLight is the charity of last
resort. Some veterans will be supported
Dorinda Wolfe Murray
Founding Trustee, FirstLight Trust
E: dwm@firstlighttrust.co.uk
by the charity for six weeks; some
for the rest of their lives. It can be
as simple as buying a bus ticket to
enable a veteran to get home from
his detox programme (AB, for
example, had walked 26 miles to
get there only to find that his support
worker was away and they had not
seen fit to inform him; luckily he then
had his first appointment with us) or as
complicated as case management for life.
Autumn 2016 (PDF)
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