Forres veterans centre marks first year on Tytler Street

RAF Veteran Finds New Life at Local Wellbeing Centre

An RAF veteran claims that a local wellbeing centre, which opened a year ago, has given him a new lease on life. Steven Gray, a member of the Erskine Veterans Activity Centre North (EVACN), stated that the facility on Tytler Street in Forres has restored his confidence and independence.

“The centre has restored my sense of belonging,” he said. “It’s the camaraderie, the banter, the friendships – the things you think you’ve lost when you leave the forces. They’ve come back into my life.”

Sergeant Gray, 62, served 22 years in the RAF on the Nimrod aircraft. His career included service in the Falklands, Germany, Canada, the United States, and the Middle East. He recalls memories from Cold War tensions to laying a wreath for friends lost when HMS Coventry was sunk in 1982.

A freak accident at RAF Kinloss in the mid-1990s left him with permanent nerve damage and a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. This condition forced him to leave the career he loved, and he feared his service and sacrifices would be forgotten.

“Life after service is never the same,” he said. “It’s easy to feel left behind, even discarded, by society. There are thousands of veterans who wake up every day just trying to get by – I was one myself.”

Today, Steven believes EVACN has given him his life back. The centre, tailored to the needs of the veteran community, offers sports, recreation, arts, wellbeing programmes, financial inclusion advice, and peer support.

Since opening in December 2024, it has welcomed more than 600 members, including Steven.

“I used to feel forgotten,” he said, “but Erskine has made sure I’ll never feel that way again.”

“Before the centre opened, I hardly got out. My wife works and my daughters are grown up, so I was starting to feel isolated. Now I have a focus and something to look forward to.”

“My family and friends keep saying how much more positive I am.”

Erskine, Scotland’s leading veterans’ charity, supports 1,300 veterans and their families every year. EVACN provides a place for veterans of all ages to reconnect and learn new skills.

Erskine Veterans Activity Centre North opened at the former Victoria Hotel in December 2024.

“Members come first,” said Steven. “The support we have is overwhelming. The centre has given me the same spirit of belonging we all remember from service life. It has been life-changing for me.”

Wing Commander Ian Cumming MBE, chief executive of Erskine, believes that the joining of more than 600 members in a year shows how vital the support is.

He concluded, “When veterans find connection, structure, and purpose again, their whole outlook changes. We are incredibly proud of what the Forres centre has achieved.”