We recently wrote about John Rigby’s achievement in being nominated for the Military Values in Business award. John, a Change and Training Consultant at DNASTREAM, left the Armed Forces 2021 after 24 years serving in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Moving to a second career can be a difficult for many Armed Forces veterans, but John joined FDM Group and attended the Ex-Forces Advanced Programme which saw him capitalise on the qualities he already possessed, such as leadership and teamwork. After successfully completing this training, John joined DNASTREAM in his new role.
DNASTREAM – selecting the good causes we support
DNASTREAM is keen to support the charities that mean the most to our people, supporting good causes that resonate with our team. When we asked John if DNASTREAM could support a Veterans charity on his behalf, he was keen to suggest Erskine.
John’s time in the Army was spent deploying to numerous war zones. Due to the nature of the work that they were required to undertake, life-long friends were made along the way. As with many soldiers in his peer group, or under his command, John struck up a friendship with a lad in the Regiment called Danny Mavor. John saw Danny as a strong minded individual and could see a lot of himself in Danny.
Sadly, Danny was in a motorbike accident which resulted in a C4 spinal cord injury. This left him tetraplegic and he uses an electric wheelchair to get around that he controls with his chin.
Danny describes himself as “a normal 37-year-old who loves animals (especially dogs), newfound love for bird watching (especially the wee robins from my window), travelling and experiencing different cultures, adrenaline junkie, music lover and an all-round laid back guy.” But he needs someone to be ‘his arms and legs and Erskine’s support has made a huge difference to his quality of life.
ERSKINE - supporting Veterans in Scotland
For those not familiar with Erskine’s work they provide support to Veterans in Scotland, through 3 care homes and a Veterans Village, comprising of 44 cottages, an Activities Centre, 5 Assisted Living Apartments and 24 Transitional Supported Apartments.
So, all in all Erskine care for nearly 1,000 residents each year, they not only care for their Veterans – they care about them.
For Veterans of all ages who need help to begin the next chapter of their lives, Erskine offers social, recreation and training facilities, single and family accommodation and employment opportunities in partnership with Scotland Bravest Manufacturing Co.
DNASTREAM will be doing just a little bit to support Erskine in the valuable work they do.