We are proud to help fund the building of a new community centre in Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) Centenary Village in Kent. This village will provide essential housing, accessible facilities and holistic welfare and employment support for veterans of all ages and their families.
The community centre will be named after the Army Benevolent Fund and will sit at the heart of the central green, surrounded by purpose-built accommodation for older residents, disabled veterans and Army families. At the centre there will be peer support activities, skills and training sessions and employability courses run by RBVE’s LifeWorks team. RBVE has a strong focus on employability which has culminated into Lifeworks – a national programme that helps 83% of unemployed veterans secure work or workplace training. All of these training sessions aim to encourage life-changing personal development opportunities to all residents.
RBVE was established 100 years ago this year to care for wounded, injured and sick soldiers returning from the First World War. A century on, the charity’s core values of helping vulnerable veterans towards greater independence through providing homes, welfare and employment training, still remains.
Steve Sherry CMG OBE, RBVE Chief Executive, said: “The Army Benevolent Fund have time and time again shown their commitment to supporting RBVE on our mission to improve the lives of vulnerable veterans by helping them on their journey back to independence after a difficult transition.
“We are incredibly grateful for their continued support, across a wide range of RBVE services. This most recent donation, and our long-standing collaboration, has played a crucial role in the Centenary Village project and RBVE’s ability to continue to provide support to veterans for another 100 years.”
We are excited to be helping with funding the building of RBVE’s new community centre. The development and expansion of the centenary village includes facilities to help veterans cope with managing any disabilities and long-term health conditions. There will be activities and training opportunities available for residents which aims to increase independence.
Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chief of Staff at the Army Benevolent Fund, added: “We are honoured to be able to help with this impressive development and expansion of RBVE’s centenary village. The new community centre will provide essential facilities for many members of the Army family and give them a place to truly call home. On behalf of the charity, I give my many thanks to RBVE for naming this incredible community centre after the Army Benevolent Fund.”
In November, Her Majesty the Queen visited RBVE to open the charity’s new luxury care facility, Appleton Lodge, and lay a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, marking the beginning of the next phase of the Centenary Village. Her Majesty was told of the role played by the Army Benevolent Fund in the development when she was formally introduced to Chief Executive Major General Martin Rutledge CB OBE MA.
