Member Directory

Armed Forces’ Christian Union

Charity Number: 249636

The Armed Forces Christian Union (AFCU) exists to enable, equip and encourage Christian members of the Armed Forces through discipleship, fellowship and prayer.
AFCU is a home for military Christians.

We know that life in the Armed Forces often means frequent moves, new units, and deployments to distant lands. We therefore know that at times it can feel like you don’t have a home, and that, as a result, you feel isolated and alone.

But you do have a home, the AFCU. We are much more than just an organisation; we are a welcoming family, a place to connect and share genuine fellowship with those who truly understand the unique military journey. United by our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are here to support one another through every season of life.

Contact Information

https://www.afcu.org.uk/
office@afcu.org.uk
Unit 24
Shrivenham Hundred Business Park
Watchfield
SN6 8TZ
01793 783123

Support Offered

Discipleship – A cornerstone of our AFCU family.
Just as we nourish our bodies, our spirits also need consistent, intentional feeding to grow strong and resilient. Discipleship is about that journey of spiritual growth – becoming more like Jesus each day, rooted deeply in His Word and living out His love in the world.

Fellowship – Central to life in the AFCU family is the opportunity to build strong bonds.

It’s more than just gathering; it’s about sharing life, encouraging one another, praying together, and knowing you’re deeply connected to others who walk a similar path of faith, especially within the unique context of military life.

Prayer – The very foundation of all that the AFCU does.
It’s not just a practice; it’s our passion, underpinning every connection and every fellowship moment. Prayer is how AFCU began. For 175 years, since 1851, we’ve been faithfully praying for the military, and we’ve been blessed to witness countless answers to those prayers.

Please do visit our website – www.afcu.org.uk – to find out more about the AFCU and if you have any questions, please do email us at: office@afcu.org.uk

Beacon Counselling Trust

Charity Number: 1140011

Beacon Counselling Trust (BCT) is a North West England based education, treatment and support charity, which employs fully qualified therapists and practitioners who have extensive experience working in the area of mild to moderate mental health to support individuals on our Merseyside based suicide bereavement programme and our National Armed Forces Gambling Support Network programme.

Beacon Counselling Trust was awarded charitable status in 2010.

BCT works in a strictly confidential manner and adheres to strict professional guidelines that include a Code of Ethics as set out by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapy (BACP). All our therapists and practitioners hold enhanced DBS certificates.

Contact Information

http://beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk/
support@beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk
263 Townsend Land
Clubmoor
L13 9DG
0151 226 0696

Support Offered

Beacon Counselling Trust (BCT) is a North West based mental health charity which was established in 2010 and offers a range of mild to moderate community-based mental health support programmes. BCT is one of the leading providers of gambling-related harms education and support within the UK, and leads the Armed Forces Gambling Support Network (AFGSN) UK wide programme.

A primary focus of the AFGSN is the ‘Battling the Odds’ programme, which is a tailored armed forces educational offer and a first aid approach in tackling gambling related harms. Members of the armed forces community and those who provide support can access either of the following training offers for free, which includes:

· Battling the Odds: Bet You Can Help Now! A 90-minute introductory session delivered online providing insight into gambling-related harms and how the Armed Forces Community are impacted.

· Battling the Odds: Bet You Can Help Level Two Award. Accredited by RSPH and Ofqual regulated, this full day programme delves deeper into the issue of gambling related harms through group discussion and exercises designed to increase confidence in supporting those who require support through the successful completion of a short assessment.

An integral aspect of the AFGSN is the provision of specialist treatment and support concerning gambling related harms. The AFGSN provides free and confidential specialist treatment and support for any member of the armed forces and veterans community
experiencing, or at risk of, gambling-related harms. This can be for the gambler themselves, or those affected by someone else’s gambling.

Services include:
· Gambling harms education and training
· 1-2-1 therapeutic support
· Recovery and aftercare provision
· Lived Experience Alliance
· Onward referral to appropriate support

You can reach us via 0151 226 0696 or by email at support@beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk
or our website – https://beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk/armed-forces-community-programme/

Bowra Foundation

Charity Number: 1185395

Our PURPOSE is to promote and pursue the physical and psychological wellbeing, rehabilitation and recovery of those living with the effects of brain injury by leveraging the skills and experience of members of the armed forces community alongside other volunteers.

Contact Information

https://bowra-foundation.org/
info@bowra-foundation
Faulkner House
31 West Street
Wimbourne
BH21 1JS

Support Offered

While clinical care plays a vital role, recovery does not end when treatment does. Many individuals face a long and often isolating journey of rehabilitation.

BOWRA exists to bridge the gap between clinical intervention, community rehabilitation and recovery to a ‘new normal’.

The BOWRA Bag is a rucksack complete with a specially assembled toolkit of practical items designed to support survivors of stroke and brain injury in the early stages of rehabilitation, fostering independence, communication and recovery. The bag is often the introduction to the wider BOWRA community of support and access to activities across the UK.

We provide structured activities and a supportive community that helps people take meaningful steps forward in their recovery. By combining lived experience, volunteer support and a focus on wellbeing, we help individuals regain confidence, rebuild routines, and reconnect with life beyond injury.

Building Heroes Education Foundation

Charity Number: 1158886

Building Heroes provides ex-service personnel with a rapid transition into careers in the construction industry through retraining and employment support.
We provide an intensive programme covering a range of building skills, plus relevant health and safety training, to equip our graduates to progress into employment, self-employment or further training.
We have a growing network of employers able to offer job opportunities and provide appropriate individual support with your chosen career path.

Contact Information

http://www.buildingheroes.org.uk
info@buildingheroes.org.uk
Southpoint
Old Brighton Road
Lowfield Heath
RH11 0PR
01798 874521

Support Offered

Five week intensive course in building skills: brickwork, rendering, plastering, painting, tiling, plumbing, carpentry and joinery leading to Level 1 qualification
Level 1 Health & Safety in Construction, CSCS Labourers Card
Asbestos Awareness training
Welfare support during training
Employment support/career guidance
Introductions to employer network providing a range of job opportunities
Signposting advice and guidance on self-employment or further training

Defence Gardens Scheme CIC

Company Number: SC681754

The Defence Gardens Scheme (DGS) is a national network of gardens which host the delivery and evaluation of nature-based therapy for Armed Forces Service Leavers and Veterans and their Families.

Contact Information

http://defencegardens.org/
info@defencegardens.org
39 Hanover Street
EH2 2PJ

Support Offered

The Defence Gardens Scheme (DGS) works in partnership with veterans’ charities, military units, community mental health service providers and gardening projects to develop, deliver and evaluate nature-based therapy.

The network is based on a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model of community-based mental health care. The Hub gardens deliver and evaluate the 10-week DGS Programme, also delivered within prison to Veterans within the Criminal Justice System. The Spoke gardens are part of a local community to ensure continuation of support.

To increase access and outreach DGS has developed one-day Cultivate and Connect Workshops and Wellbeing Walks, offering all members of the Armed Forces Community the opportunity to learn about and immerse themselves in nature.

East Sussex Veterans Hub

Charity Number: 1183583

The mission of ESVH is to provide non-clinical support, including welfare, well-being and coping for Veterans of the Armed Forces in East Sussex, particularly those with combat related PTSD and mental ill health or involved within the criminal justice system.
Objectives:
To reduce social isolation and enable veterans to integrate into the local community;
To improve desistence within the criminal justice system;
To increase veteran’s ability to understand, address and manage PTSD, mental health symptoms and through self-help gain a reasonable quality of life;
To work in collaboration and develop professional working relationships with local services: both statutory and non-statutory; and
To work with veterans and introduce them to appropriate services that meet their needs, where and when these are required.

Contact Information

http://
esvh99100@btinternet.com
5 Harold Place
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 1JA

Support Offered

Wellbeing & Coping Sessions, including meditation every fortnight, Saturdays 1000 to 1300 hours. Hastings.
Monday, Tuesday, & Friday office and drop in 0930 to 1300 hours
One to One visits as required
Full range of welfare support, assistance with transition, resettlement, allowances, GPs and NHS specialist.
Advice on support available and direct help for homeless getting back into accommodation.
Assistance in preparation to return to work or volunteering.
Particular support for those with PTSD/mental ill health.
Presentations to statutory bodies and other organisations that interface with military community.
Special support for veterans involved with Criminal Justice System, including those on remand, serving a sentence or pre release. Provision of RAR days for those with community sentences or on licence.
Developing services for families of veterans in need.
Provision of special activity days, sculpturing, visits, etc

Entrain Space

Charity Number: 1163266
Company Number: 9242372 Our Wilton Trust
Friendly Society Register No: 12304625 Entrain Space

Entrain Space (operating name of Entrain Space Trust) provides a home, support, community and opportunities for ex-service personnel – both service leavers and veterans – who need some additional support in making a successful transition to civilian life.
Our goal is to enable our residents to move on to a secure, fulfilling, and sustainable civilian life after 1–3 years with us.
Our first development, Erskine House in Wilton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, opened in December 2019. We take ex-service personnel from anywhere in the country and can accommodate singles, couples or families.

Contact Information

https://www.entrainspace.co.uk/
enquiries@entrainspace.co.uk
Erskine House
Buckeridge Road,Wilton
SP2 0FX

Support Offered

At Entrain Space we provide:
– High-quality, spacious and fully furnished one- and two-bedroom flats
– Full-time wraparound professional housing and welfare support, as required
– The Entrain Space Personal Development Program – an individually tailored and directed program of training, apprenticeships, on-site voluntary or paid employment in one of our social enterprises, and local employment and business opportunities
– Great on-site facilities – including a large, well-equipped training suite for residents, offices for our full-time support staff, and the café

Healthier Heroes CIC

Company Number: 11475724

Our purpose is to deliver a service of safe housing, holistic, trauma-informed support that helps vulnerable adults stabilise, rehabilitate, and reintegrate into independent living and purposeful community life.

Healthier Heroes, offer more than just a safe place to stay, we are a community. Service members are supported by a multidisciplinary team including outreach workers, an in-house psychotherapist, veteran peer mentors, and wellbeing coordinators who help build emotional resilience, practical life skills, and a sense of belonging. Everything, we, as leaders, needed but never received.

Our vision is to inspire a movement of resilience and empowerment, cultivating a healthier future for all. To create a society where every veteran and those from their community, has access to safe housing, the tools, resources, and support needed to lead a healthy, balanced life.

Healthier Heroes CIC is committed to offering innovative housing, health and mental wellbeing support. Through community engagement, personalised services, and impactful education, we strive to remove barriers to well-being, promote positive lifestyle changes, and ensure that all people, especially those who have served, are given the opportunity to thrive.

Contact Information

http://www.healthierheroescic.co.uk
connect@healthierheroescic.co.uk
Bancroft House
4-6 Elizabeth Street
Burnley
BB11 2BQ

Support Offered

We offer a combination of outreach, supported accommodation, and one-to-one interventions, working closely with statutory services, health providers, local authorities, and the wider veterans’ sector. Our team has expertise in supporting individuals with complex needs, including mental health difficulties, substance misuse recovery, homelessness, and transitions back into civilian life.

Healthier Heroes CIC is committed to collaborative working, safeguarding, and evidence-based practice, ensuring that those we support receive consistent, coordinated care that promotes independence, resilience, and positive outcomes.

Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre

Charity Number: 1192644

To promote, the health, wellbeing and resettlement into the community of any and all current (and primarily) ex HM Armed Forces personnel, ex HM Armed Forces Reservists or former members of the Merchant Navy who have served alongside their HM Armed Forces
comrades during a conflict (also referred to as veterans) along with their families and dependents who reside in Herefordshire or the surrounding area region and who are (or might in the future be) in charitable need including those who are suffering from mental
or physical illness of any description or are in need of rehabilitation as a result of such illness, who are experiencing difficulties adjusting to post service civilian life, are experiencing hardship, unemployment or homelessness in such ways as the trustees of the charity think fit by:

(1) Providing a single point of contact to assist in the provision of physical, psychological, practical support, advice and encouragement to relieve a veteran’s distress, illness or hardship.

(2) Providing or assisting in the provision of activities and facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time activities with the object of improving veterans’ wellbeing, self-esteem, self-confidence and aid their transition back into local society.
(3) Providing or arranging provision of education, vocational skills training or other assistance and to create and facilitate job opportunities along with assisting HM Armed Forces veterans to prepare for and find employment.
(4) Operate drop in and activity centre(s) staffed by volunteers for HM Armed Forces veterans and their families and dependants to provide advice, empathy, support and sign-posting services to help Armed Forces veterans who are experiencing problems (or might in the future) due to one of the above challenges and to assist them in accessing local service providers and wider support organisations that may be able to provide help or support.

Contact Information

http://herefordshire-vsc.org/
hvsc-referrals@herefordshire.gov.uk
100 Widemarsh Street
Hereford
HR4 9HG
01432 674853

Support Offered

HVSC support is provisioned by a rich array of personnel and activities. It operates a central hub staff by expert full time staff as a drop incentre and as a facility to bring in experts in health, finance, the law, employment, adjacent charities, social subscribers and
volunteers. It further operates pop-up centres across the County and is supported by a brilliant team of volunteers and outreach staff.

Items 1 to 10 of 53
Our Executive Members

By @Cobseo 57 years ago

Afghanistan support

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here