Lonely veterans' activity fund spent on Royal British Legion building upgrade

Following sanctions, the Royal British Legion branch was taken into district administration and formally closed; the RBL no longer holds any interest in the property, which continues to be used by the Tandragee Veterans Support Centre for veterans' activities.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said they were satisfied the Covenant Trust took appropriate action to investigate, halt further payments, and address the matter through robust grant assurance measures.

The Trust stated it reported the matter to the Charity Commission in 2024, which reviewed the issue and confirmed that no further action was required.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust said the capital works enabled delivery of the planned project and that the food-related activities delivered for veterans had positive outcomes for loneliness, while continuing to note compliance issues with the grant terms.

The chairman of Tandragee Veterans Support Centre signed an assurance letter stating that grants were provided mainly to provide activities but were spent on capital; it acknowledged that the grant was not spent as offered and that remaining funds would be used in line with the original application.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust expressed concerns about the use of funds (particularly on capital costs) and appointed a mentor to oversee the remainder of the funding; it requested a letter of assurance from the Tandragee branch to resolve the matter.

The Royal British Legion headquarters began its own investigation after noticing that grant money awarded to the Tandragee branch had transferred to the Tandragee Veterans Support Centre (TVSC).

During refurbishment, capital works included building upgrades and the installation of a fully serviced bar with stock; investigators later noted neither organisation held a license to sell alcohol.

Tackling Loneliness, a £70,000 grant, saw £34,000 used for refurbishment and £8,000 paid to the Lyric Theatre from the funding; the remaining funds were used to deliver the project, including other initiatives.

For Stages of War, all but £2,000 of the £35,000 grant was spent on property refurbishment, with the Royal British Legion later noting no outgoings aligned with the original funding request.

For A Golden Stitch in Time, £31,000 of the £35,000 grant was spent on property refurbishment, and internal reporting showed that 10 veterans were trained instead of the proposed 40.

In 2020, the Royal British Legion Tandragee branch was awarded three grants totalling £140,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to deliver three veteran-focused projects: A Golden Stitch in Time (£35,000), Stages of War (£35,000), and Tackling Loneliness (£70,000).