Your support means a lot to us. We do want to get the Vets’ flying School funded and preferably built before winter so we are asking your help and perhaps, hopefully, that of some of your friends! Could you please vote for us?
We are collecting for our Disabled Veterans Flying School project
Read moreIndividuals and businesses from across the South West met this Wednesday for an evening of fundraising to support training and opportunities for returning servicemen and women.
The fundraiser, held at Bicton College in East Budleigh, was aimed at raising awareness and vital funds for HighGround, a charity who provide jobs, careers and vocational opportunities for Service Leavers, Reservists and Veterans in the land-based sector.
Hosted by Bicton College, HighGround runs a series of Rural Weeks throughout the year which provide candidates with seminars and tasters of Rural Careers. HighGround plan to deliver 8 Rural Weeks during 2018 that will support over 80 individuals.
Read moreThe Not Forgotten Association has made it to the voting stage of the Aviva Community Fund Awards. We are seeking funding for two boat trips – one on the Solent and one at Runnymede. Each campaign could see the Association awarded £5000 and would help charity to reach those who need help. The two trips combined will benefit a total of 200 veterans and their carers, by treating them all to a much-needed day out.
Read moreFalklands Veteran Bob Gallagher has raised an astonishing £600 in just 10 days in preparation for the NFA’s Falklands Trek Challenge. Bob Gallagher was diagnosed with PTSD in 1994 as a result of his service in the Falklands War. Bob served on-board HMS Argonaut, which set sail the day after his 21st birthday. The HMS Argonaut was stationed off Fanning Head at the entrance into San Carlos Bay, which left it open to daily air attacks. The ship sustained considerable damage, killing several members of the crew including Bob’s friends Iain Boldy and Matthew Stuart.
Read moreThis year’s final carp fishing trip to Woodlay, Cornwall, was a huge success. The latest trip saw 8 veterans from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Army sharing stories from their experiences in the Falklands, Northern Ireland and the Middle East. With days spent fishing and evenings spent socialising, as one beneficiary said at the end of the weekend, “it really doesn’t matter if you don’t catch a fish, these weekends are all about the comradeship on the lake side and the social banter in the evenings.”
The three weekends we have spent in Cornwall have been hugely successful and much of this is due to the wonderful support we receive from Jon, who runs the complex, and his friend Martyn – both of whom are veterans themselves.
Read moreJoanna Lumley, Ray Winstone and Richard Wilson are some of the celebrities starring in three short films promoting military veteran employment.
The celebrities highlight the skills veterans can bring to employers, and some of the barriers that need to be overcome for them to secure new fulfilling careers when they leave the military. Other celebrity appearances include Claire Balding, Hugh Bonneville, ‘Judge’ Rob Rinder, Larry Lamb, Matt Barber, Nick Knowles, Paul Copley. Some of the biggest veteran employers in the UK are also involved, such as BT, Alexander Mann Solutions, Deloitte, Jaguar Land Rover as well as veterans themselves.
Read moreSSAFA Ambassador and Special Forces Veteran Ant Middleton will be putting Vogue Williams through her paces to take on the Royal Marines physical fitness test. The test will include a 4.8km run in two parts in under 12 minutes 30 seconds, followed by timed bleep tests including running, press ups, sit ups and pull ups.
Read moreBeing an intern can help you gain vital work experience and industry insight.
Lisa Jones, an OA Career Consultant, recently ran a webinar with Charlie Perkins and Guy Amir from Goldman Sachs to discuss its Veterans’ Integration Programme. Lisa Jones served in the Army, and then worked in the City before joining the OA. Both Charlie and Guy served in the Army and then joined the Goldman Sachs Veterans’ Integration Programme. As a consequence of the internship they secured full time permanent roles at the multinational Investment Bank.
Read moreThe Royal British Legion (TRBL) launches its annual Poppy Appeal.
Today (Thursday 26th October 2017) thousands of volunteers will stand on street corners across the UK, asking the public to support the Poppy Appeal. People wear the paper poppies to remember all Service men and women killed in conflict. In 2016, the TRBL raised £146.9 million for the Armed Forces community. This year the TRBL is asking people to #RethinkRemembrance, and recognise the sacrifices made by the military family, past and present.
Read moreSydney Graham, an OA volunteer, recently attended a memorial service for the father he never met.
Edward Graham was killed during an ambush in Sicily on 13th August 1943. The Royal Irish Fusilier died aged 31, without knowing his wife had given birth to twin sons just 22 days before. Edward was initially posted as missing but was confirmed dead two years later. He was first buried at the roadside before being moved to an unnamed grave.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
