The Poppy Factory had the pleasure of welcoming the Veterans Minister, Tobias Ellwood, on Thursday 7th September. The visit gave us the opportunity to talk through our work in the factory and in communities across the UK, highlighting the vast number of products we produce for the Royal British Legion and the success of our employability service. He was able to meet our dedicated staff and hear first-hand how we have helped over 800 veterans with health conditions into work since 2010. Demand for our services continues to rise, with a 25% increase in registrations
this year.
Following the visit the Minister said:
“The work The Poppy Factory does in helping businesses across the country provide employment for disabled veterans is hugely important and I’d like to thank them for all the work they do. It’s important that Government works with charities to provide comprehensive support to veterans, including the Armed Forces Covenant and the new Veteran’s Gateway.”
The Poppy Factory’s CEO Deirdre Mills talked to the Minister about our work and the support we needed in the future. She said:
“We were delighted to welcome the Minister to The Poppy Factory to showcase the vital work we are doing to support veterans with health conditions back into employment. The Poppy Factory will continue to ensure that veterans’ skills and experiences are recognised by employers, whilst also supporting businesses with the experience of employing people with a disability. And our services are working – over 70% of Poppy Factory veterans sustain their employment after 12 months, much higher than other schemes.
“The Minister also met our dedicated productions staff who are busy producing the poppies and wreaths for the Royal Family and The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.”
The visit follows a successful trip to Stoll, provider of supported housing for Veterans, in July where we were able to present details about our work to Veterans’ Ministers from the British Government, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.