It gives me great pleasure to invite you to the first ever Pathfinder International Armed Forces & Veteran’s Resettlement Expo, kindly sponsored by BAE Systems, taking place tomorrow at St James’ Park, Newcastle, from 10:00 – 15:00.

The event has been billed as the first of its kind due to the fact Veterans are most welcome at this event, as well as those going through military resettlement.

We felt here at Pathfinder, that a lot of Veterans were overlooked in both terms of career choices as well as the emotional side of leaving the military, which we have all faced, yet not so many of us would care to admit it that it has been tough leaving the forces at various times since handing in that ID card.

I’ll put my hand up and say I have found it tough.

On leaving the RAF in 2011, I have held many job roles that have changed often due to circumstance, rather than choice, yet these situations have not made the transition from the military at times any easier.

I am classed as a Veteran, yet I am only 39 years old. Other so called Veterans I know are younger and in their twenties, on the lookout for work and in need of assistance. Yet, as they have completed that initial resettlement phase from the forces, that help for a number of reasons may not be at hand. We’d like to change that.

I will also raise my hand in the air and admit the emotional side of the leaving the military has not been easy too. People often overlook the emotional side on leaving what is often more than a job; it is a way of life, a vocation, part of a family. Often leaving the forces is akin to a loss, a death, and a separation which can only surface years later.

With this in mind, I am naturally thrilled to have Nick Wood here from York St. John University, who delivers the “Military Human” course to an array of people across society.

I was fortunate enough to attend one of his workshops and as a service leaver, I identified the trends of leaving the forces, that I had taken for granted and did not think anything more of. Such things as isolation are highlighted, which triggers aspects of anxiety and the dreaded word of depression, which can then lead to a viscous circle of mental illness. Throw in the subject of PTSD for some leavers and one can see how a downward spiral can become very real, very quick.

Hopefully, elements as this event will only build on the good work being done by the likes of Nick, other people such as the Forces Pensions Society and Ray Lock and the team at Forces In Mind Trust, all doing great work behind the scenes to alleviate the fears leaving the military raises and help ease that journey into the civilian world for the next stage of your life.

I hope if you are attending, you take away both crucial career advice and notions that if you need to talk about concerns on leaving the forces, or concerns since leaving the forces, you know it is okay to talk and you know the correct people to speak to.

If you are reading this and unable to attend, please be sure to keep up to date with the Pathfinder International website and social media channels on the day to see all of the action and also keep abreast for news of further events we plan to hold around the UK arise.

Enjoy the day and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

Kind regards,

Mal Robinson.

Free tickets are still available and registration can be done via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-bae-systems-armed-forces-veterans-resettlement-expo-tickets-48596043073

If you cannot access the site, people can attend on the day and sign in.