This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
A grant of £7,000 has been given to an Isle of Wight organisation to help armed forces veterans visit local schools and care homes and share their stories as part of a project called ‘afterWARds’.
After the ceremony to raise the Armed Forces flag in Newport on Monday 22 June, the chairman of the Isle of Wight Armed Forces Community Covenant Board, Councillor Ian Ward, presented Wendy Varley from Independent Arts the cheque, which is a grant from the Ministry of Defence.
Supporting local community covenants
The grant is one of the last to be made under a national scheme that has supported the work of local community covenants. The government is due to announce a new grant scheme that will be open to Island organisations aiming to run programmes that will ensure that the contribution and sacrifice of the armed forces community is recognised and understood.
Kate Ball, Chief Executive at Independent Arts added,
“This funding will go towards for ‘afterWARds’, which aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role and experiences of those who serve or have served in the armed forces.
“We are especially grateful to the Island’s Armed Forces Community Covenant Partnership Board and the Ministry of Defence for their support of our project. This will allow us to deliver creative workshops in care homes and schools across the Island, culminating in a public exhibition next spring.”
Councillor Ian Ward said:
“The Island’s Community Covenant Board considered a number of local applications. We put the bid from Independent Arts forward as the most likely to deliver the objectives of the Island’s community covenant.
“Having recommended the bid, the board is very pleased that the Ministry of Defence has awarded a grant.”
Information about Independent arts and the afterWARds project is available online.
