SSAFA Perth and Kinross volunteer celebrates 25 years of support for the Armed Forces community

30 March 2026

A Kinross resident and former Lieutenant Colonel has been recognised for 25 years of voluntary service with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Andy Middlemiss, 77, has been a dedicated SSAFA volunteer since 2000, beginning his service the day he retired from the Army after a more than 30-year military career.

Andy’s quarter of a century with SSAFA has seen him complete various roles. He supported hundreds of members of the military community through social, financial, and health challenges as a caseworker before stepping up as SSAFA Perth and Kinross Branch Chairman – a role he has held twice and for 14 years in total.

He was part of the SSAFA Perth and Kinross team who won a Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2018 and was personally awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2021 for his tireless voluntary work with Forces charities in Scotland.

Andy’s volunteer focus is now on community engagement, strengthening branch connections and running local outreach events, as well as supporting veterans in the criminal justice system – a role for which he received a SSAFA Regional Recognition Award in 2023.

A fourth-generation soldier who completed 33 years of service with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, Andy’s connection to the military runs deep:

• His grandfather was a doctor with the Royal Army Medical Corps at Gallipoli.
• His father was a regular soldier who saw action at Dunkirk, El Alamein, and on D-Day.
• His eldest son Peter is a Colonel in the Scots Guards and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Andy said: “I joined SSAFA the day I left the Army to give something back and to stay in touch with people I have close affinity to. I love being a SSAFA volunteer – there have been many ups and only a few downs to it. I can't believe 25 years volunteering have gone by in such a flash. Roll on the next 25!”

Andy was presented with his Long Service Award at SSAFA’s biennial Scotland Volunteer Conference, which saw more than 100 SSAFA volunteers and staff gather together in Glasgow.

Walter Gallacher, SSAFA’s Scotland Regional Chair and Convenor of the Scottish Resource Committee, said: “Andy’s steadfast commitment and support for serving personnel, veterans, and their families is what SSAFA is all about, and it’s a privilege to see him presented with a Long Service Award.

“It’s thanks to people like Andy that SSAFA can succeed in its mission to ensure our Armed Forces community never battle alone, and I wholeheartedly thank and congratulate him on his 25-year volunteer milestone.”