Woody’s Lodge to expand to West Wales but we need your help
As you might know, here at Woody’s Lodge, we have been awarded two major Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust grants through “Positive Pathways” and “Removing Barriers to Family Life”. The two grants will allow us to develop our work across Wales over the next two years. The two grants are an incredible opportunity for Woody’s Lodge to deliver even more support for veterans of the armed forces and emergency services as well as their families. It also allows us to extend our services across Wales, including opening a brand-new site in West Wales!
Our new project to support service families is the Green, Green Grass of Home and our brand new West Wales location is at the heart of this project!
Penlan Farm is an 11-acre farm in West Wales that we were unexpectedly gifted at the end of last year. Donated by the owners of ‘Dunster House Limited’ who have been impressed with the work at Woody’s Lodge!
Woody’s Lodge will utilise the modernised farm buildings, workshop, and farmland to deliver a respite, training, drop-in centre and a holiday venue for veterans and their families across the UK.
However, in order to get Penlan Farm off the ground, we need some help from the community – could you help? In order to prepare the farm, we need to carry out some much-needed gardening work and are looking for donations of gardening equipment, such as lawnmowers, strimmers, wheelbarrows etc. If you can help, please email [email protected] and we can arrange collection following social distancing guidelines.
Woody’s Lodge is also on the lookout to build a team of volunteers in West Wales. Our volunteers provide support for veterans in a variety of ways from one-on-one guidance with form filling to ensure they’re getting the right financial or health support to sitting down with a brew and a biscuit to have a light chat with a veteran that might have become a bit isolated. If you think you have some time to spare and would like to volunteer your time at Woody’s Lodge, email [email protected] for more information.
Graham Jones, CEO at Woody’s Lodge said:
It is an amazing development for Woody’s Lodge as a charity that’s transforming itself into supporting the wider family, not just the families of veterans but also the families of those serving with the armed forces. We’re really excited to get the new site at Penlan Farm off the ground and provided additional support for veterans, emergency service leavers and their families in West Wales. We have an amazing team of volunteers at Amelia Trust Farm and Elrias Park, we’re sure that Penlan Farm will be no different!
Woody’s Lodge offers a range of Veteran Drop-in Centres across Wales, once the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic lifts, Woody’s Lodge will be opening their new Drop-In Centre at Penlan Farm along with our other locations.
Woody’s Lodge is a communications and social hub for veterans of the armed forces and emergency services, along with their families. We provide safe spaces for armed service veterans, recent leavers, reservists and those who served in the emergency services to socialise and access a wide range of health and social services. Woody’s Lodge currently has 2 bases in Wales, one at Amelia Trust Farm in Barry and one at Erias Park, Colwyn Bay; in addition, we have several satellite offices spread across Wales.
