OLDER veterans and their families will benefit from a support programme made possible by a £4m award — funded by banking fines.

The three-year project, called Unforgotten Forces, will be led by Poppyscotland in conjunction with a consortium of 14 organisation.

Among the services which will be provided are advice, access to healthcare, social isolation, respite, along with creative activities and events for those in care settings.

Standard Life’s Accelerated Development Support team worked with the consortium to make the application to the HM Treasury department that allocates income from LIBOR fines.

A series of fraudulent actions connected to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) resulted in the subsequent investigation and fines imposed on leading banks.

Mark Bibbey, chief executive at Poppyscotland, said: “We want people to understand that key organisations in the area of support provision have joined forces to provide a more holistic provision for aged veterans.

“If a veteran is engaged with one organisation, for example, they can immediately be referred to another – or multiple consortium members if required. The essence is strength in numbers and we want the identity of our consortium to reflect this.

“Scotland’s Aged Veterans community numbers approximately 280,000, with almost two-thirds of those aged 65 or over.

“There is a need to improve the wellbeing of this group in areas such as care, loneliness, social isolation and recreational activity, and to ensure access to advice on a wide range of subjects in order to ensure an improved quality of life.”