It’s that time again when many of us take stock on the passing of another year and when we take the opportunity to consider the expectations and challenges for the next.  Here’s a summary of some of my work from 2019 with a look ahead to what I hope to achieve in 2020.

This year’s Remembrance Day marks 100 years since the first poignant Armistice Day commemorations held in 1919.  Each year, the 11^th November offers us an opportunity to remember all those who have given their lives in the defence of our nation.  It remains just as important now as it was then.

I cannot believe that it has been a year since I took up my appointment as Scottish Veterans Commissioner from Eric Fraser.  It has been fascinating meeting so many people both from within the military and veteran’s communities and from society in general.  So many people who have been inspirational in their own ways whether they are overcoming their own personal challenges or whether they are prepared to sacrifice so much of their time to help others.  It is not difficult to remain motivated to do what I can to help our veterans when presented with such inspiration.

As the summer festivals continue across Scotland and the Fringe and Military Tattoo hit Edinburgh, I’ve been continuing with a part of my role that’s most definitely not a fringe or seasonal activity – listening to and understanding the experiences of veterans and of the organisations that aim to support them. 

Last month I published my first independent assessment of progress made by the Scottish Government in supporting our veterans’ community.  This snapshot showed good progress in some areas – it certainly revealed to me that areas of the Scottish Government are serious about trying to improve the world of our veterans’ community.  Coupled to this, I also had meetings with a number of Scottish Government Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries with relevant responsibilities to get their insights into progress and discuss how we might continue to drive change in key areas.