Hartlepool bids to open £1m Valour veterans centre as part of government plans - see what it will do
A £1 million bid has been launched to create a dedicated new support centre for veterans in Hartlepool town centre.
A number of partners and veterans groups are backing the proposal for a new Valour Centre within Middleton Grange Shopping Centre to serve as a meeting place and provide access to a variety of services under one roof.
The bid by a consortium spearheaded by the East Durham Veterans Trust, and supported by a host of local partners, is part of a new £50m government initiative to set up such centres across the UK.
But those backing the Hartlepool project, say a support centre will open regardless of whether the bid for Valour funding is successful.
Andy Cammiss, chief executive and founder of East Durham Veterans Trust, said: “It’s to be a veterans hub for the people of Hartlepool to get the help and support that they need.
"There’s nothing like this in Hartlepool, so the idea is to bring what we do in Seaham with our veterans hub up there and bring that down to Hartlepool.”
Valour centres aim to cut through the current “patchwork” of services by creating a single joined up access point for support with things like health, housing, employment and financial advice.
Andy added the centre would also focus on social inclusion with arts and crafts, and include mental health counsellors.
The hub is being created in the former Galleries cafe in Middleton Grange, which closed last year, and has been provided by the owners of the shopping centre, Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC).
HDC chief operating officer Beverley Beane said: "We’re committed to working with our partners to make this vision a reality and deliver lasting benefits for veterans and the wider community.”
The bid is also being backed by the MP for Hartlepool, Jonathan Brash, who said: “With nearly four thousand veterans living in Hartlepool, this is about making support simpler, visible and joined up.”
Other partners include Hartlepool Borough Council, which will provide free parking, Hartlepool Royal British Legion and Hartlepool Armed Forces Liaison Group.
Mike Facchini, chairman of the armed forces liaison group, said: “I think it will be a real benefit to have a central location where veterans can meet and it will generate a lot of different activities that we don’t have at the moment.”