The inaugural edition of TheVeteran.UK publication will be launched in September 2022 appearing – initially – every six months thereafter.
Produced in both print and digital editions, it will:
Introducing TheVeteran.UK
Flagship Publication
- constitute one of the core pillars of TheVeteran.UK’s campaign to promote working age Veterans to employers across the entire economic and social spectrum of UK society;
- in harness with TheVeteran.UK Online provide transitioning personnel and their families with a vast and comprehensive range of information, guidance, ideas and advice on meeting the challenges and grasping the opportunities of post-Service life.
- champion a Veterans’ Community which is robust and relevant, vibrant and intra-dependent, but forward-facing and fully wired into post-pandemic Britain at every level.
The style, content and design will combine to inspire, inform and entertain with stories by and about Veterans for Veterans – and readers across all branches of UK society where engagement with Veterans could make a big difference, and change lives.
Proposed Synopsis
INTRODUCTION
Introduction by Alan Spence, Director & Editor
TheVeteran.UK’s Mission and Strategy
SECTION 1. Features and interviews
SECTION 2. Veterans: force for change and progress
SECTION 3. Veterans serving civil society
SECTION 4. Veterans serving in the military community
SECTION 5. Veterans around the world
SECTION 6. TheVeteran.UK Directory
SECTION 7. TheVeteran.UK Community
SECTION 8. Specifications
SECTION 1
Features and Interviews
1.1 Under the newly-created Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) in the Cabinet Office, the UK is setting out to become the best country in the world to be a Veteran. How will the OVA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and all other relevant ministries, help achieve this? What has been achieved to date and what does success look like over what sort of timescale? When will this policy yield transformational outcomes for, particularly, working age Veterans.
1.2 Leading UK industrialists take aim at the negative myth-mongers who fuel feelings from the board room to the shop floor against employing Veterans. What they don’t get…and what they deny businesses throughout the UK.
1.3 TheVeteran.UK’s comprehensive guide to successful transition based on extensive interviews with those who have made the journey. Featuring a forensic look at official pathways and other support structures; the do’s and don’ts of transition; personal and professional readiness; which elements of military culture do well in civil society – and which don’t; launching a satisfying new career, not just getting a job…. making success permanent, and failure temporary – and valuable.
Incorporating:
- Interview with Alistair Halliday, CEO of RFEA, the UK’s largest Veterans’ employment charity
- Feature on RFEA – mission, operations, achievements, case studies
- Interview with Mark Austin, Managing Director, Trinity Insurance Services on the importance of building financial capability and confidence amongst Service-leavers
1.4 The NHS and the Armed Forces – two great UK institutions – possess shared history and, in more recent years, have worked ever more closely together – arguably never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic when Armed Forces personnel became increasingly embedded in a broad range of NHS and NHS-related services from clinical care and administering vaccines to strategic logistics’ planning and fulfilment. Always a popular area for NHS recruitment, will recent events generate an increasing stream of service leavers seeking careers in the NHS?
1.5 Ten years of the Armed Forces Covenant – what lies beyond? A special TheVeteran.UK survey examining the role and impact of the Armed Forces Covenant during its first decade seeking to ensure members of the Armed Forces – and their families – are not disadvantaged as a result of their service on behalf of the Nation. How will recent legislation renewing the Covenant for the next five years help provide increased support?
Incorporating:
- interviews and comment: military, business, industry and social leaders;
- ten tips to achieve Gold in the MOD’s Armed Forces’ Employer Recognition Scheme by Lieutenant-Colonel Julian McElhinney, Head of Business Development at Holts Military Bank, where he is senior reservist.
- TheVeteran.UK profiles current Gold, Silver and Bronze Award holders – what it means for their organisations, and for the Armed Forces.
1.6 Growing a Veterans’ culture in the UK. Armed Forces’ and Armed Forces Veterans’ awareness has risen substantially in recent years, strongly reflecting UK involvement in high profile overseas conflicts, the introduction of Armed Forces Day (originally Veterans’ Day in 2006) and the launch of the Armed Forces Covenant in 2011. Sadly, though, the UK lacks an all-embracing Veterans’ culture within the heart and soul of society which not only recognises the achievements and sacrifices of Veterans during their service careers, but also the extraordinary contributions they make (and could increasingly make if given the opportunities) across the entire spectrum of UK civil society, especially given the serious challenges currently facing the Nation.
TheVeteran.UK sets out an holistic agenda for fundamental change in the way UK society views and treats Veterans – to the benefit of all.
Incorporating:
- Special Focus on the experiences of women service leavers
- Article by Sir Brian Burridge KCB CBE FRAes, former head of Strike Command, overall commander of British Forces in Operation Telic in the 2003 Iraq War, Senior Vice President Leonardo and, latterly, CEO Royal Aeronautical Society
1.7 PTSD: demolishing negative perceptions. TheVeteran.UK talks to Veterans and leading mental health experts, about the extent and severity of PTSD in the Veteran community compared with UK civil society – and discrimination against PTSD sufferers in the employment market. The report also focuses on all forms of help and support available both during and after military service for PTSD sufferers to maximise their opportunities in both the workplace and everyday life.
1.8 In a special TheVeteran.UK report LGBT and Ethnic Minority Armed Forces’ Veterans recount their experiences during and after their service careers. To what extent are the progress of Armed Forces’ and civil society’s diversity and inclusion strategies in step? LGBT and Ethnic Minority Service leavers’ experiences in the employment market. Case studies. The importance of acknowledging and redressing historical wrongs, including returning medals to gay Veterans. The work of Fighting With Pride and LGBT and Ethnic Minority Armed Forces and Veterans’ community support groups. Formal and informal strategies and agendas to help generate transformational change in the treatment of LGBT and Ethnic Minority Veterans.
1.9 TheVeteran.UK talks with US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough about the challenges facing the US’s 18 million Veterans. Directed by President Biden “to focus on getting our Veterans through this pandemic”, how well is Secretary McDonough doing? Does the US’s fabled “Veterans’ culture” still provide its traditional strong support, and how can this be measured? What can the US and the UK learn from each other in supporting Veterans of working age, and beyond? Opportunities for trans-Atlantic collaboration? A US-UK young Veterans’ industry exchange programme?
SECTION 2
Veterans: Force for Change and Progress
2.1 Industry, Commerce and Finance
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans of all previous ranks and roles in a broad range of industrial sectors including:
- Transport and logistics
- Aerospace and defence
- Security
- Cyber Security
- IT and Telecoms
- Manufacturing
- Banking and financial services
- Agribusiness
- Sales and marketing
- Marine and maritime
- Aviation
2.2 Business – Entrepeneurs and Sole Traders
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans across all sectors who are self-employed sole traders or run their own businesses covering:
- All areas of economic and social activity
- Education, training and mentoring
- Business funding and other support, including Armed Forces- specific start-up assistance
Military trades and specialisms sought after in the civil sector - Including special feature on how to build your own business by award-winning entrepreneur and Veteran Steve Thornton, Founder and CEO, Forces Cars Direct.
2.3 The National Health Service – NHS
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans operating at all levels of the NHS including:
- Consultants, surgeons, doctors, nurses and all other frontline specialist staff across all specialisms
- Laboratory and research staff
- Essential services and their maintenance
- Procurement and logistics
- Management at all levels
- Recruitment
- NHS Step Into Health Programme
2.4 The Green Economy
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans employed in the green economy including:
- Alternative energy generation, including wind, solar and tidal
- Energy conservation – domestic and industrial
- Sea, land and air transport
- Construction
- Forestry, agriculture and agribusiness
- Water
- Waste and environment
2.5 Government and Public Administration
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans in:
- The Civil Service
- Devolved, regional and local government
- The Diplomatic Service
- International inter-governmental organisations
2.6 The Emergency Services
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans in:
- The Police Service
- The Fire Service
- The Ambulance Service
2.7 Education
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans in:
- Primary and secondary school education – public and private sector
- Higher education – universities, colleges and other educational institutions
- Professional and vocational training
- Personal tutoring
2.8 Sport
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans in:
- Professional sport – management, administration, marketing and communications, logistics, fitness training, medical, nutrition, security, crowd management
- Public and private sector sports centre and sport facilities management, maintenance, promotion, fitness
2.9 Fitness and Wellbeing
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans employed in all aspects of the fitness and wellbeing sector including:
- Gyms and health and wellness centres
- Nutrition research in industry and universities
- Fitness technology research and development
- Specialist centres for physical and mental/emotional rehabilitation
2.10 The Third Sector
Features, profiles and interviews with Veterans working throughout the UK’s Third Sector, including:
- Military charities
- Non-military charities
- Voluntary and community groups
- Social enterprises, co-operatives, mutuals
- Churches, faith groups
- Other purpose driven, not-for-profit organisations
SECTION 3
Veterans serving civil society
This section covers the many ways in which Veterans serve, often unpaid, in a huge number of different roles across civil society, where their skills and knowledge are mobilised to the benefit of national, regional and local civil, social, educational and cultural organisations – whilst also strengthening ties and understanding between the military community and civil society.
Subject areas include:
- Acts of Remembrance, including annual Remembrance Day services and parades
- Armed Forces Day events around the UK
- Special military commemorations and celebrations nationally or locally
- Military museums, events and displays
- Royal and other VIP visits around the UK
- Education and sport
- School governors
- Charity trustees
- Youth organisations (non-military – see below)
- Adventure schools and training
- Wellbeing, including mental health counselling
- National and local events where military experience is valuable
Special Article on Remembrance Day/Armed Forces/Special Day toolkits – for cadets, reservists, councils, schools, any organisation planning to participate in local, regional or national acts of remembrance and celebration.
SECTION 4
Veterans serving in the military community
This section affirms and illuminates the continuing ties between Veterans and the military community focusing, in particular, on:
- Military reservists
- The cadet forces
- Military recruitment
- Military education
- Armed forces champions in corporates and other organisations
- Military charities
SECTION 5
Veterans around the world
The UK is set on making the country the best in the world in which to be a Veteran. So how well are others getting on? Including:
- The United States
- Commonwealth countries, focusing, in particular, on Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Pakistan and South Africa
- Others, including France and Germany
Also opportunities for collaboration and co-operation between the UK and other countries involving corporate exchange programmes, recruitment opportunities, training and consultancy work, as well as engagement in lifestyle areas, such as culture and sport.
SECTION 6
TheVeteran.UK Directory
TheVeteran.UK Directory provides comprehensive listings of all types of services and support networks available to service leavers and Veterans.
Living and lifestyle
- Transition and resettlement
- Tax, Pensions
- Careers
- Education
- Private healthcare
- Banking services
- Other financial services, including mortgages
- Insurance – all forms
- Legal – all forms
- Housing
- Cars and boats
- Holidays and leisure
- General retail, including discount schemes and opportunities
- Sport, sports clubs, gyms, wellness and fitness clubs, including discount schemes
- Culture and the arts, including discount schemes and privileged memberships
- Military museums, clubs, societies
NHS healthcare
- NHS healthcare – registration, the system and how it works – GPs and dentists, specialist referrals, hospitals, A & E
- NHS healthcare, Veterans and their families – including Veterans’ priority access to NHS hospital, primary and community care for conditions associated with time served in the armed forces.
- Focus on mental health services
- Financial assistance
- Ex-service care and nursing homes
Support networks
- General wellbeing
- Physical disabilities
- Mental health conditions and disabilities
- Women, family, children
- Ethnic Minorities, LGBT
- Addiction self-help groups
- Faith organisations
- Other
Military charities
- Profiles, missions, specialisms
- Contact details – including emergency telephone lines
SECTION 7
TheVeteran.UK Community
General features and interviews from across the military community, including relevant current affairs, lifestyle, sport, culture, people, and history, and Remembrance including:
- The Armed Forces and the Fourth Industrial Revolution – TheVeteran.UK examines the role of smart technology as the UK Armed Forces’ strategic capability game-changer – and what this could mean for the professional prospects for Service-leavers increasingly experienced and knowledgeable in this area.
- TheVeteran.UK Editor Alan Spence visits The Australian War Memorial in Canberra where history and remembrance combine in tribute to bravery and sacrifice – in deliberate and clear line of sight from the Australian Parliament as a reminder of the cost of war.
- War and Remembrance 2022 – the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War – probably the last of the UK’s “old-fashioned” wars. What next for the Falklands?
- All The Queen’s Men and Women. A special Veteran’s Community Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll as she approaches her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
- The new poetry of war … mention the “war poets” and people will immediately assume you are about to launch in to lines from Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and others who did so much to bring home the full horror of the First World War…but what about the poets of the Falklands, Kosovo, the First and Second Gulf Wars, Afghanistan: what did they have to say … and how did they say it. Let’s take a look…
- And much more…
Also opportunities for collaboration and co-operation between the UK and other countries involving corporate exchange programmes, recruitment opportunities, training and consultancy work, as well as engagement in lifestyle areas, such as culture and sport.
SECTION 8
Specifications
Publication specifications
FINISHED SIZE: 297 X 210 mm (portrait)
COVER: 4PP, full colour, perfect bound with matt laminate finish
INNERS: 112PP, full colour
STOCK: COVER: 350 gsm woodfree silk
INNERS: 115 gsm woodfree silk
Note: the above specifications are similar to those for recent acclaimed publications by TheVeteran.UK Team – see TheVeteran.UK Media Services
Advertising specifications
FULL PAGE ARTWORK needs to be supplied as high-res CMYK PDF, 210mm wide by 297mm high with crop marks and 3mm bleed on all sides.
HALF PAGE ARTWORK needs to be supplied as high-res CMYK PDF, 210mm wide by 148mm high with crop marks and 3mm bleed on all sides
Special positions and inserts on application
For further assistance please contact
Paul Cunningham
Design and Production Director
Email: paul.cunningham@theveteran.uk
