Veterans to march in Birmingham and London in protest of Combat Stress cuts

More than 50 veterans marched on Audley Court in Newport in protest to changes at the facility that will mean residential treatment is axed.

Many of them said that without residential treatment, they would have hurt themselves or others.

But Combat Stress boss Sue Freeth said that they can no longer dip into reserves to make up for the charity's deficit – and that unless it gets back in the black, it could disappear completely.

Now the veterans are organising more marches in Birmingham and London, with the first happening in the second city on November 7.

They're aiming for more than 100 people to turn up for a follow-up meeting with Ms Freeth.

Exact locations and times are yet to be confirmed by the group, but it is expected to be the first of many marches in support of Combat Stress.

It follows the announcement last month that residential treatment at the centre will be lost, and that staff will be made redundant.

The decision was part of a five-year restructuring plan which, the charity said, would “offer greater flexibility and accessibility to treatment so veterans can be supported more quickly”.

March organiser Pete Neale said: "We are marching in Birmingham to get more awareness off PTSD and Combat Stress. We are aiming for 100 or more to join us.

"We'll be marching to London in January, as it will take time to sort it all out."

The plans come as Ms Freeth released a statement to the Save Audley Court Facebook group, which now has nearly 2,000 members.

"Staff have already started to submit suggestions to us on the proposals and we have also taken away your comments for consideration," she wrote. "I would like to thank the Save Audley Court group for putting forward their suggestions to me.

"To be clear, my goal is to improve the recovery experience of veterans with mental health needs within the resources available to this charity. We will continue to actively seek to increase our income to expand again to increase our capacity over the next five years. But, we must not spend more than we can raise.

"Combat Stress has evolved over its 98 years and continues to have to adapt to changing needs of veterans and the UK Government funding environment.

"I want to increase the range of programmes we offer and once we have brought our income and expenditure into balance I am confident we will have a sustainable base to grow from.

"We have no wish to cause anyone anguish or uncertainty about our vital support being put in jeopardy. We are taking decisive action to ensure we continue to exist and to stay solvent and capable of continuing to raise funds from the public so we can continue our work."