Decision on Newport's Combat Stress centre could come in June
A decision on the future of care for armed forces veterans at a charity centre in Newport will be made later this year.
Veterans met bosses this week to discuss their plans to take over a wing of the Combat Stress centre at Audley Court.
They were told that a decision could be made by charity trustees in June.
Organisers behind the Veteran's Respite Centre, the formal name for the veteran-run wing, said it was a positive meeting.
Pete Neale, who started the Save Audley Court Combat Stress Facebook page and is among those organising the plans, said: "We won't find out until June but the chat we had was good.
"The feedback they gave was very positive."
The Veteran's Respite Centre will replace axed residential services at Audley Court.
The decision to stop residential treatment was part of a five-year restructuring plan which the charity said would “offer greater flexibility and accessibility to treatment so veterans can be supported more quickly”.
The meeting follows months of preparation by the veterans.
Rules
They had to pick a name, pick trustees, organise volunteers and start the process of becoming a charity, as well as form a proposal for how to operate and maintain the wing, as well as its rules and times of operation.
People will also have to be assigned control of maintenance and finances.
They have also had to consider fundraising options.
Veterans and supporters through the Audley Court Combat Stress Supporters group, formerly Save Audley Court, are already raising money.
They are organising car boot sales and similar events in the hopes of chipping away some of the money needed to run the wing.
They are also hoping to set up a direct debit scheme for those wanting to give directly.
Nearly 40 members of staff were made redundant across Combat Stress last year.
The charity's chief executive Sue Freeth said cuts had to be made to its services else it risked closing down entirely.
“We do need to get back in the black, because if we don’t then we won’t be sustainable," she said. "That would be a terrible disaster.”
But dozens of veterans came out in protest of the cuts, marching through Newport in October and again in December.
Without residential services, veterans said, their mental health issues meant that they posed a risk to themselves and those around.
The decision to stop residential treatment was part of a five-year restructuring plan which, the charity said, would “offer greater flexibility and accessibility to treatment so veterans can be supported more quickly”.
