Erskine is thrilled to announce that ABF The Soldiers’ Charity has continued their generous support for our Veterans with a fantastic grant of £150,000. This grant will support our delivery of sector-leading care to elderly Army Veterans and spouses at The Erskine Home, Bishopton. Erskine has a long-standing relationship with ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and we are hugely grateful for their outstanding generosity towards our Army beneficiaries.

The Erskine Home, Bishopton continues to provide sector-leading care and support for Veterans and spouses, most of whom are living with dementia or other cognitive impairments. Our incredible staff offer a huge range of enhanced care services such as physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, support from our Advanced Nurse Practitioners and our extensive daily activities programme. These key aspects of Erskine’s care for Army beneficiaries are largely funded by voluntary income and rely on donations from our loyal supporters like ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

More than half of Erskine’s residents are Army Veterans and spouses. This includes Bill Haynes, a Veteran of the Army Catering Corps. Bill began his military life at just 17 years old and served in the Corps for nine years, including time in Germany, Northern Ireland and England. Bill lives with significant medical needs but is now enjoying a high quality of life at The Erskine Home, Bishopton thanks to our dedicated staff.

Bill says: “The McKellar House staff and Erskine in general are second to none, I don’t know where I would be without everyone and what they have done for me. The physiotherapy staff have got me up and moving again. I took part in the Sporting Senior Games which was great fun. I am very lucky to have had a great career – the good times outweighed any bad times and I’m now enjoying being here in Erskine being cared for by such a dedicated team of people!”.

 Erskine’s Chief Executive, Ian Cumming: “I would like to personally thank the Trustees of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for their latest tremendous grant and for choosing to regularly support Erskine’s Army Veterans over so many years as our range of care and support services has developed and grown. While it is still a challenging time for our staff as we continue to ensure the safety of our residents from COVID-19, we are delighted that our Homes are returning to a more normal and vibrant care home environment. This grant will assist Erskine to provide our unique blend of enhanced care services and support each Army beneficiary to enjoy the excellent quality of life and high level of wellbeing that every one of them truly deserves. Erskine is hugely proud to care for Scotland’s Army Veterans and their spouses and we will keep doing so thanks to the outstanding generosity of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – thank you all again!”

 Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity: “We are proud to support Erskine’s high quality and compassionate care services, especially during the past two years when financial costs have increased due to the impact of the Covid pandemic. We are committed to helping all elderly veterans to enjoy peace, comfort and dignity in their final years.”

 ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is the national charity of the British Army, helping soldiers, past and present, and their families for life. The charity makes grants to individuals through their Regiments and Corps and supports a wide range of specialist charities that sustain the British Army family, both at home and around the world.  To find out more about their work, please visit www.soldierscharity.org.

To donate directly to Erskine, please visit Erskine.org.uk/donate or search Erskine Veterans.

To find out more about Erskine’s work please visit our website at www.erskine.org.uk, follow on twitter @Erskine Charity via Facebook www.facebook.com/ErskineVeteransCharity or listen to Erskine Veterans Radio at Erskine.org.uk/radio or Paisley 107.5 FM