The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) continues with its series of podcasts keeping Service personnel and veterans up-to-date with items of interest or news from within the Agency and the Armed Forces Community.

The Agency’s latest podcast provides an update on a project developing services for bereaved members of the Armed Forces Community.

Cruse Bereavement Care, a national charity, is running the three-year project, funded by the Department of Health.  Jenny Green, the Project Manager takes part in the podcast interview, providing news of the Project’s progress.

Jenny said:

“The podcast is a great way to provide wider awareness of what the Project hopes to achieve in support of the Armed Forces Community.  Our aim is to provide accessible support, establish new services and give service specific training for those who are supporting bereaved people.”

Laurie Manton, Head of SPVA Media and Communications said:

“SPVA is committed to providing awareness of initiatives and organisations supporting the Armed Forces Community. Since early 2010, SPVA has released a number of podcasts providing information and updates of initiatives and services provided for this important community.”

The podcast and other SPVA social media products are available to access on SPVA Social Media Hub via the Veterans-UK website, , and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. Veterans-UK was launched by the Ministry of Defence in April 2007 to provide a focal point for veterans to access services from the many different sources of help available.  The Veterans-UK helpline, 0800 169 2277 and website www.veterans-uk.info are the main contact points.  
2. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is an Agency of the Ministry of Defence and provides essential support functions to the Armed Forces and veterans communities.  These include Forces pay and HR, issue of all medals, casualty repatriation and compassionate services, pensions, injury/bereavement compensation and veterans welfare support.
3. A veteran is anyone who has served in HM Armed Forces, regular or reserve including National Servicemen, former Polish forces under British command and Merchant Mariners who have seen duty in military operations (e.g. the Falklands Conflict). Veterans, who can be aged from 18 to well over 80, along with their families and dependents make up the veterans community and all are entitled to our services.  
4. SPVA prides itself on its communication with the Service and Veterans community. By embracing Digital and Social Media, it will be able to reach an even wider audience.  The SPVA podcasts were launched in February 2010 followed by the first SPVA videocast launched in May 2010.  SPVA now also has a blog and you can follow SPVA on Twitter.
5. Using Digital and Social media products, SPVA aims to keep service personnel and veterans up to date with the latest happenings within the Agency and how they may impact on the wider Armed Forces community. 
6. SPVA podcasts and videos are now available on the SPVA Social Media Hub that can be accessed via the Veterans-UK website - http://www.veterans-uk.info - and are also syndicated via iTunes, the SPVA channel on YouTube and MOD Social Media Hub http://www.blogs.mod.uk/homepage.html  

For Further Information
Please contact Laurie Manton Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, on 07795 970407