Togther we are everything
No Man is an Island... John Donne
Three core values guide McClelland & Chase Communications Bureau;
Acknowledging our Past
Recognising our present
Preparing for the future
These values also remind McClelland & Chase Communications Bureau that it is built upon and grows with the support of the communities to which it belongs.
To that end, a crucial part of our being is to give back to those communities. Be it through charitable giving or practical support, McClelland & Chase Communications Bureau believes in supporting those communities who have supported us.
Veteran Culture and Representation
New ways of involvement
A little over a decade ago, I wrote a series of essays on various topics around veteran perception, including The Rambo Syndrome -Manifestations of PTSD/Combat Stress, Proposals for Successful Decompression and Post-Service Military Transition and Combat-Related PTSD and its Effects upon the Family. These papers sought to address issues I had experienced and witnessed during my recovery journey as a Wounded in Service Veteran and, in turn, helped influence how various agencies in the United Kingdom and overseas worked with Veterans. These included the NHS, US Veterans Agencies, UN and various NGOs. My work culminated in being included in the Veterans Transition Review led by Lord Ashcroft in 2014.
This experience inspired a self-funded project entitled 'I...' in 2015, using our now merged Forester Green photographic services label, and mentored by photographer Hugh Hamilton. What followed was six series of posters featuring HM Veterans from across the globe sharing their positive post-service experiences. Featuring Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes and Robert Lawrence, Military Cross, participants supplied a favoured photograph and a few words to tell their story and challenge contemporary perceptions and definitions of what it meant to be a veteran. 'I...' was launched in 2015 and would feature firefighters, teachers, artists, a Christmas Jumper and some bloke covered in mud.
As an extension of the project, an Art exhibition, which attracted over one hundred and fifty visitors in five days, was held at Kelham Hall in 2016 and featured the work of veterans, both involved in 'I...' and outside the project. The project was supported by numerous outside bodies and finished in October 2018 after featuring over one hundred veterans.
Links of Interest:
Lord Ashcroft Veterans Transition Review.
'I...' Project Website can be found here
Art Exhibition Stills.
