A veterans charity has issued an urgent appeal for volunteers amid fears they are reaching capacity.
Every year the Moray, Nairn and Banffshire branch of SSAFA helps nearly 100 former military personnel who are in financial hardship – levering about £100,000 in grants from funders.
However, now the 10 active local caseworkers are reaching capacity while the average age of the group is more than 70.
Chairman Mike Sweeney, who served in the RAF, said: “We try to get by basically as best as we can at the moment. We’ve got a waiting list so it’s just about keeping up with the cases.
“The demographic is working against us with our current members so it’s something that will become more pressing as time goes on.”
Caseworkers from the group are responsible for gathering information from people in order to submit funding applications on behalf of veterans and their families.
Common cases in recent years have included priority debts including rent arrears and council tax, removal fees from military housing and financial assistance to buy household equipment.
In Moray, the group also supports the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, which was formed in 1839 to provide financial assistance to fishermen and their families.
Mr Sweeney added: “We tend to find a lot of our caseworkers are from a military background, but it’s not a requirement. All we’re looking for are people with interpersonal skills and a sympathetic ear.”
Branch secretary Stewart McCracken, who also served in the RAF, said many of their cases can require immediate action to provide aid.
He said: “Taking PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as an example, it normally takes about eight or nine years for the symptoms to present themselves.
“During that time they may have been deployed or perhaps other issues have developed with things like alcohol or drugs.
“We tend to get them at that end point because of the way life is and you only ask for help when you’ve exhausted all other avenues. So it can be a crisis point when we get involved and you want to act quickly.”
Anyone interested in volunteering as a SSAFA caseworker should contact the group by e-mailing ssafa.mnb@gmail.com or phone 01309 690067.
