News

Louise ready to take on Royal Parks Half Marathon after losing more than eight stone in 15 months

A woman from West London is preparing to run the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Louise Viisminas, 49 and from Hayes, is taking on the 13.1 mile challenge as part of a wider fitness regime that has seen her lose an astonishing 52 kilos, more than eight stone, since Febraury 2016. She explains: “I ended up having a few health issues and eventually came to the realisation that it had to stop. Something needed to change and that’s when I decided to start improving my fitness.

“I’m now in a place where I’ve constantly got to challenge myself. I do the park run every week, which is 5k, and also took part in a charity walk last september. I ended up covering 7k in 50 minutes, and then thought, why not starting running?”

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Ex-Homeless Veteran takes on an intense physical and mental challenge – walking the UK coastline

From the 1st August 2017, military veteran Chris Lewis will be embarking on an epic journey to walk the entire UK coastline – with all proceeds raised being donated to SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Chris will be starting his adventure on Llangennith Beach in Wales, before heading north into Scotland and then back down the east coast and across the south coast.

Far from being a walk in the park, Chris will be embarking on his challenge with absolutely zero funds, and will be relying on the goodwill of both the public and local businesses to supply him with all the food, water, accommodation and equipment he needs for each leg of his journey.

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Over £35,850 raised for Armed Forces at Royal Ascot this year

A staggering £35,850 was raised on the Friday at Royal Ascot for the three leading Armed Forces charities, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

For the fifth year running military personnel joined racegoers for Royal Ascot’s unofficial Armed Forces Day. In addition to special ticket offers for military personnel, 80 volunteers from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, and Royal Air Force carried out collections for their principal charities.

This year, the generous racegoers donated an incredible £22,103 in just two hours. The sale of 5,499 jugs of Pimms led to a further donation of £13,747 bringing the total to £35,850 for the day.

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Secretary of State for Defence announces X-Forces Gold Award Winners

The ministry of defence recently announced the new winners of the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Awards, its highest badge of honour for organisations which have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and demonstrated outstanding support for those who serve and have served.

We are delighted to have been recognised for our support for the Armed Forces Community and are humbled to be in the company of this year’s award winners!

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Poppy Factory celebrates living wage commitment

Its team of 41 Armed Forces veterans hand assemble more than five million poppies and 12,000 wreaths every year, but now Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory (LHPF) can add another feather to its cap after becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer.

The commitment by LHPF to the Living Wage will ensure that all staff – regardless of whether they are direct employees or working on a third-party contractual basis – receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.45. This rate is significantly higher than the statutory minimum rate for over-25s of £7.50 per hour introduced earlier this year.

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Family fun with Military charity at Llandudno Promenade

A local military charity is inviting guests to join them at the Llandudno Promenade Bandstand for an afternoon of fun and games.

Blind Veterans UK, the charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, will be hosting an event, with visitors to the Prom invited to take part in a range of fun activities. There will also be a special motorcycle display put on by The Whistle Stop Café and Widows Sons, two local groups who support the charity.

Victoria Beech, Regional Fundraiser for Blind Veterans UK, says: “Llandudno Promenade is visited by both locals and holidaymakers from across the whole country.

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New Model of Care for local Armed Forces Community launched

The Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) is delighted to announce that the new Armed Forces Navigator Pilot Project has officially been launched on the 17 July 2017.

The pilot is being run in partnership with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHCFT), the Tavistock Institute and DMWS, and has been funded by the Forces in Mind Trust with the aims to better understand and support the health and social care needs of the Armed Forces community. The project will identify gaps in availability and accessibility of required services and raise awareness with local commissioners, to ensure there is appropriate consideration and planning into the future.

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Military charity on hunt for volunteers in Salisbury

A military charity that supports blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women is on the hunt for a team of volunteers in the Salisbury area to help generate local fundraising ideas and reach out to more veterans in the area.

Blind Veterans UK currently supports over 4,500 vision-impaired veterans, more than any time before in the charity’s history. It has set the ambitious target to double the number of veterans receiving its life changing support by 2022.

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