The Liverpool Group have been successful in securing a grant from West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity for £14,000 to assist in the upgrading of the disabled facilities available at the Altcar Glamping Pods located on the Altcar Training Camp, Formby, Merseyside.
The aim of the pods is to offer veterans, service personnel, and their families, the chance for a little bit of respite to relax, talk and help with their general wellbeing. PTSD is an invisible illness that people cannot see. Wars and conflicts in Korea, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan have left invisible scars. This project will benefit so many suffering from PTSD and other associated conditions in a safe environment.
The idea for the pods came from a member of the Altcar Training Camp staff. The proposal was to create an environment within a quiet area of the camp. The idea was supported by the then Camp Commandant, scoped and enacted with enthusiasm.
With gracious donations from a wide variety of local businesses and organisations like The Army Benevolent Fund, Masonic Craft degree and residents, the funds started coming in. Over the next few years, the development of the pods progressed to a stage when they were able to open the site to be used by those it was intended for.
Sadly, the plans were thwarted, when shortly after opening, an issue was raised with Sefton Council which they were obligated to investigate. The Commandant of Altcar Training Camp met with Sefton Planning Officials who took the view that formal planning permission was required.
However, Sefton Council also took the view that the site was spectacular in terms of the layout, location and the intended functional purpose. They gave the project their full support. This planning application, coupled with the onset of COVID restrictions, caused a delay during which the pods were unable to be used.
A former officer, Major Rolly Sutton, together with a band of willing veterans regularly came to the site undertaking maintenance tasks which have seen a new wheelchair ramp, landscaping and other tasks undertaken. Sefton Council finally granted planning permission and Altcar Training Camp began the process of bringing the pods up to standard.
The delay resulted in wear and tear to the pods woodwork. This work needed a cash injection, and it was on the annual ‘Battlefield Tour’ to France that Jim Ramsay and Bob Paterson (both of Everton Lodge No 823) put the call out for donations. The Liverpool Group Chairman Dave Johnson answered the call agreeing to adopt the Altcar Pods as one of their priority charities for the year.
A successful application was made to WLFC and a grant of £14,000 was approved to replace the most damaged pod whilst upgrading the disabled facilities. Three of the four pods are now operational and were opened in June 2025, they are now fully booked to the end of the year. We thank WLFC for their enthusiastic commitment to supporting this most deserving project.
The Altcar Pods site consists of: A welcome centre, a kitchen and ablution block (2 x wet rooms, walk in showers, separate loo and kitchenette, four x PODs, one for a wheelchair user (single bed) and three x twin beds, workshop and recreation area, a cladded 40 foot container with a small workshop and lounge area, a viewing platform over the River Alt, a garden maintenance store, outside seating and BBQ area with a fire pit .
