Commemorating, empowering and supporting our veterans: 80th anniversary of VE & VJ Day

This year we commemorate the 80^th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day. It is an opportunity to come together to honour and pay tribute to the Second World War Generation from across the UK and Commonwealth. This anniversary, in 2025, will be one of our last chances to thank surviving veterans.

At The National Lottery Community Fund we’re rooted in the communities we serve, whatever their needs. We have a long and proud history of helping communities come together to take action on the issues that matter to them – and that includes working with veterans to help them enrich their lives and strengthen their community.

Through our Heroes Return programme, we awarded £29 million to support over 58,000 Second World War veterans and their spouses and carers to take commemorative visits back to where they served.

Teddy Dixon was one of Northern Ireland’s last remaining World War Two veterans, who formed part of a 12-man squad that liberated some 33,000 people from the Dachau concentration camp. Heroes Return allowed him to return to the camp 60 years later, with his son Johnston and grandson Ian.

Johnston told us: “Maybe it’s a generational thing but he kept it [his wartime experiences] to himself until then. The visit to Dachau definitely helped him though, and it was very special to be with him for that.

“That’s why The National Lottery’s Heroes Return Programme was so important; giving dad a chance to go back and remember the role he and the other men played. They were all heroes, and we must never forget that.”

Stories like Teddy’s are a reminder of how powerful our connections to the past can be. You can read more personal stories like this on the Heroes Return blog.

We typically associate veterans with their brave and selfless acts in service, and rightly so – but equally we’ve seen incredible examples of them continuing this selflessness to help others in their community.

Roy Harrison served with the Royal Engineers and is now a peer recovery worker with Combat Stress which helps veterans ranging from their 20s to 80s deal with issues such as PTSD, anxiety and depression.

In his words: “It is just veterans who gather together to discuss, help and support each other.”

“We know what we have been through and what needs to be done - and we can pass that knowledge on to others.”

Elsewhere the award-winning Veterans with Dogs takes a unique approach to wellbeing, by training and providing assistance dogs to veterans with complex mental health difficulties, including PTSD. Founded in 2012 by former Royal Marine Craig MacLellan, Veterans With Dogs emerged after Craig witnessed the calming effect of his own Labrador on other veterans.

The charity has received national acclaim, including at The National Lottery Big Bash. You can read about a day in the life of one of our furry friends here.

Working within and alongside communities, a number of our projects have helped repay veterans through creative and positive activities, which help them reconnect with their community and develop their wellbeing.

In Bishopston, Erskine Veterans Charity has established a sanctuary where veterans connect with others through mindfulness sessions, activities and holistic therapies. But perhaps most importantly, they find a group of individuals who understand their struggles intimately, having walked similar paths themselves.

Similarly, Redberth Croft CIC in Pembrokeshire helps veterans manage their mental health and wellbeing through hands-on outdoor activities. The charity offers outdoor therapy and rural skills training for veterans, alongside adults with additional learning needs, and young people in vulnerable situations. This allows them to find a mutually beneficial community of support where stories and experiences can be shared.

Grassroots funding is the bedrock of ideas like these. Our flagship National Lottery Awards for All programme is open to all UK communities and remains at the forefront of empowering amazing community-led projects.

If your organisation has an idea for a project that could strengthen society, improve lives and have a lasting impact as we mark 80^th anniversary of VE and VJ Days this important year, you can apply to National Lottery Awards for All.

Provided your project meets at least one of the criteria on our website, you may be eligible for up to £20,000 for up to two years.