Noon gift paves way to brighter future for veterans

A £10,000 gift by businessman and philanthropist Sir Gulam Noon will help pave the way to recovery for ex-Servicemen in the care of Veterans Aid.

Following a recent visit to the charity’s New Belvedere House hostel in Stepney, Sir Gulam praised VA for its ‘wonderful work’ among the homeless ex-Service community.

Noon Foods had already provided the hostel’s 54 residents with a curry dinner and Sir Gulam vowed to make a follow-up visit. ‘People who have fought for their country should be treated with dignity” he said. “This is what Veterans Aid does.”

His Company, Noon Products Ltd, does complimentary curry lunches every year at the Guildhall for over 1,000 people; the entire proceeds from sales go to the Army Benevolent Fund, which also supports Veterans Aid.

Every penny received by Veterans Aid I spent on those it helps and donations are rapidly translated into much-needed items or services.

CEO Dr Hugh Milroy said “Homelessness isn’t just about having a roof over your head, its about being able to sustain yourself in today’s society – pay bills, hold down a job, acquire skills and afford the necessities of life like clean clothes. VA recognises this and everyone who comes to us is treated as an individual.

“We’re deeply grateful to Sir Gulam – not just for his donation, but for making time to come and see us. It meant a lot to everyone at the hostel that he made his interest in us so personal.”

Manager Pat O’Connor greeted Sir Gulam who took a tour of the hostel and visited residents in their rooms.

It costs approximately £5,000 per year to care for a single veteran at New Belvedere House, but resettlement in the community is always the endgame and that, too, costs money.

In the interim VA strives to make New Belvedere House a real home, not a holding pen for damaged human beings. At every level, dignity is a consideration.

Colonel Geoffrey Cardozo, who oversees fundraising for the charity explained. “For example, we are very keen to carry out a patio improvement project to create somewhere where residents can enjoy fresh air and socialise. And we have another more demanding project to convert our garage and its surrounding area into a physical fitness facility.

“The patio project is scheduled for autumn providing we can secure enough skilled volunteer manpower to carry it out at minimum cost. Materials, however, are a prerequisite and funding from individuals like Sir Gulam will allow us to purchase items like decking, wooden posts and beams, awnings and furniture.”

Money is also spent on making life comfortable for those who move on. Col Cardozo added “We’ve just re-housed two men who had been there for about six months. One of them has gone to the Gateway Housing organisation at the Isle of Dogs, and the other now has a flat at the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation near Fulham Broadway tube station. Both of them needed basic items to make their new lives a bit easier – a kettle, a microwave; the normal things a person needs when moving in. Donations like Sir Gulam’s help us pay for some of those things.”