BAE Systems has supported SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity for more than two decades, with donations around the £1 million milestone since the partnership began. Its support has helped fund some of SSAFA’s most critical work.
In 2025, BAE Systems contributed a generous £50,000 to Forcesline – SSAFA’s free and confidential gateway to services and support offered by the charity – which in the same year managed nearly 18,500 consultations, focusing on mental health, housing, and personal support for the Armed Forces family.
Yet this is not the only support from BAE Systems as some 30 of its workforce recently volunteered their time and energy at another of SSAFA’s crucial projects.
Stepping Stone Home is a place of sanctuary and support for women in the Armed Forces, or with a direct connection to it, who are or have experienced, or are at risk of, domestic abuse and violence. In 2025 alone, some 205 women and children either stayed there or were supported through outreach programmes.
Those volunteering put their practical and creative skills to the test by building outdoor furniture and play equipment for the children temporarily living at Stepping Stone Home. One of the sturdy wooden constructions is a replica of a steam train – called The BAE Express – complete with a bell.
Aaron Flemons, SSAFA’s Corporate Account Manager, said:
“On behalf of everyone at SSAFA, I’m extremely grateful to BAE Systems for its very generous contribution to our work in 2025 and beyond.
“Its continuing support is driving positive, meaningful, and lasting change that benefits every member of the military family when they need it.
“And while the £50,000 to Forcesline will provide life-changing assistance for those in their time of need, I’m especially impressed and really pleased with the voluntary work BAE Systems employees undertook at Stepping Stone Home.
“I hope each one of them is proud of what they’ve achieved, and the joy their hard work is bringing and will bring to the women and children for years to come.”
Gillian Churchill, Group Head of Community Investment and Heritage, said:
“At BAE Systems, our mission is to protect those who protect us and that extends to the wider Armed Forces community. We’re really proud to work with SSAFA who provide vital support to enable the Forces family to thrive.
“Volunteering at Stepping Stone Home was a fantastic way to extend our support and seeing the work that SSAFA does here was humbling and inspiring – a powerful reminder of why this support matters and why we’ll always stand by veterans and their families.”
For more information, visit ssafa.org.uk.
