Plymouth Veterans and Family Hub

23/04/2026

Yesterday, we spent the day in consultation with volunteers from our armed forces community, getting ground-level guidance on how we can make the new VALOUR centre work for you.

This is vital for the ongoing success of the VALOUR initiative. The only way this can work is if we know, from the exact people we are trying to reach, what isn’t working well at the moment and how they want it to work better.

Our focus then needs to be on getting to everyone in the community who needs support. How do we make younger ex-service members feel more included? How do we reach out to diverse veteran communities? How do we honour the specific experience of women veterans? How do we ensure veterans in small, remote places have the same information as those living in major urban hubs?

We need your engagement at every step, so please keep sharing! When you share your experience with us, you could help someone else facing the same challenges. Then we can try design a system that truly works for them, and for you.

In partnership with Veterans Outdoors and Veterans Regroup ❤

13/04/2026

We made the news across the county today - thanks to Plymouth Live Devon Live 😀

The new hub will offer joined-up support on housing, employment, health and wellbeing

02/04/2026

Our Unpaid Carers group had a most enjoyable visit to The Box for the Beryl Cook exhibition. Thanks to Ryan Graham in the Box Kitchen for the lovely buffet lunch they arranged for us.

25/03/2026

We are delighted to announce that, with the support of the Office for Veterans' Affairs in the Ministry of Defence, The Veterans Hub at Ernest English House will soon become one of the UK's 14 brand new VALOUR-Recognised Centres.

This makes us part of a wider national push for improved access to veterans' services, connecting ex-forces personnel with the health and wellbeing support they so deserve.

Supporting veterans and the whole of Plymouth's Armed Forces Community has always sat at the core of who we are and what we do. Now, this recognition will allow that work to grow, reach further, and help more of those in need.

Stay tuned for more information, or learn more about VALOUR-Recognised Centres here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valour-information-and-next-steps

06/03/2026

Are you a carer of a veteran wounded or sick due to service or a veteran who is a carer? We have limited places left so get in contact (details on the poster) if you wish to join us.

05/03/2026

Our Unpaid Carers enjoyed a relaxed afternoon viewing a vibrant slideshow of photography by Mark Symonds LRPS. We were treated to majestic mountain scenes, stunning landscapes and some wildlife as well as cityscapes from across Europe and beyond.

05/03/2026

Please see details in the picture attached.

27/02/2026

27/02/2026

Brew & Banter was buzzing this morning, and it was lovely to welcome new veterans into the group.

There was also a rendition of Happy birthday 🎶🥳🎂 for Aunty Joan (Joan Ford)who will be 83 yrs young tomorrow, have a fabulous birthday 🎂

20/02/2026

This seems like a great way to spend the afternoon !

04/02/2026

We’re excited to share a new collaboration with Ivydene Nursing home, focused on reminiscence and connection.

Ivydene Nursing home has achieved the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status, which aims to better support the practical, emotional and social needs of the armed forces community living in care homes. To continue to uphold this status, they will be collaborating with us alongside other veteran charities.

As part of this collaboration, we’ll be facilitating reminiscence coffee mornings with residents, some of whom are veterans experiencing loneliness and social isolation. We’re now looking to see whether anyone might be interested in supporting us at coffee mornings, helping to build meaningful connections through conversation, shared memories, and companionship.

This opportunity is about simple but powerful things: listening, chatting, and spending time with someone who would really value friendly company. You don’t need any special experience, just a willingness to engage and to share your life experience and military stories. Your presence could make a real difference to someone’s day. Helping out can be rewarding; offering a chance to meet new people, give back to the community, and be part of something positive and supportive.

Ivydene Nursing home is based in Ivybridge, so we recognise that this may be too far for some people to travel. To accommodate this, Ivydene have provided us use of their minibus, which has a maximum capacity of 10 people.

Our first coffee morning/reminiscence session will be held on Monday 20th April from 14:00 - 15:30.

If this sounds like something you’d like to know more about, or if you’re interested in getting involved, please get in touch at vfhub@improvinglivesplymouth.org.uk or call 01752 241057. We’d love to hear from you!

Together, we can support those Veterans in a residential setting by reducing isolation and ensuring no one in our community is left behind or forgotten.