We’re pleased to announce we’ve appointed Hampshire based Veterans in Action as our official charity of the year.

We signed Veterans in Action (VIA) as our charity of the year after staff voted overwhelmingly for supporting the organisation’s fantastic work helping veterans adjust to civilian life. Both VIVID and VIA have close ties due to our locality and the high military population in the area in which we operate. Many of our staff and customers living in our homes also are ex forces and we’re due to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant making our organisation an armed forces friendly employer.

The charity of the year partnership will run for 12 months and we’ve committed to raise over £20,000 for VIA through a range of staff fundraising activities. This includes dragon boat racing, badminton matches, cake sales, quiz nights, Christmas jumper day and dress down days. We’ve already raised more than £2,000 for VIA after hosting a charity football match between our Portsmouth and Basingstoke head office staff (photo on the left).

VIA supports veterans and their families adjust to civilian life and become valued members of their local communities. Many veterans experience difficulties after leaving service and therefore struggle to integrate back into society. This can be due to mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, employment struggles, relationship breakdown or addiction.

The charity takes a long term and non-clinical approach to veteran’s mental health using outdoor activities, challenging events, expeditions and centre based projects to help veterans rebuild their confidence, self-esteem and self-belief. For example, VIA arranges expeditions for those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder encouraging them to work in a team alongside veteran mechanics to re-build Land Rovers before taking them on overland voyages. 

The money raised by our staff will support the charity’s work as well as its Project 2020 initiative which will help VIA build a veterans retreat in northern France where ex-service personnel and their families can go to help boost their mental wellbeing.

Cathryn Gee, our Head of People says, “I’m delighted we’re working with Veterans in Action as our charity of the year. We have many close links with the charity as not only do we have veteran customers living in our homes, we also have many ex armed forces in our workforce and a large military presence in the region where we operate.

“As a company we’re committed to helping make everyone’s futures brighter and we place a great amount of focus on supporting our customers wellbeing which ties in with the fantastic support Veterans in Action give to veterans in need.

“Our staff are brilliant fundraisers and are really committed to supporting charitable initiatives. That was proven last year when we raised £20,000 for our last charity of the year Yellow Brick Road Projects.”

Billy MacLeod Chief Operations Office at Veterans in Action says, “It’s hugely important that support for our veterans and families suffering the effects of war comes from many directions and we’re hugely honoured that VIVID has chosen to support the work we do. VIA has an exciting initiative coming in 2020 which aligns itself to this kind of support and VIVID are the first organisation to get involved.”