Providing quality long term care for Seafarers and dependants.
Contact Information
Weston Acres
Woodmansterne Lane,Banstead
SM7 3HB
Support Offered
Residential Care Home, Sheltered housing.
Providing quality long term care for Seafarers and dependants.
Residential Care Home, Sheltered housing.
We hold two sessions per month (with ad hoc trips, meals out, education etc) and we are committed to supporting veterans and their families within the Kirklees rural community. We aim to provide social, services and sanctuary for military veterans. We provide indoor and outdoor projects, education with speakers on all manner of subjects from medical healthcare, (our local GPs were involved in setting these hubs up), history of the area, learning to do things, for example, cookery, wood whittling, wreath making, Jesmonite models. Our aim is to integrate some of our more vulnerable veterans back into society, with trips out, with doing some woodwork for a local school, art work. We have found that some of our veterans suffering with combat related PTSD are enjoying being with like-minded veterans and the more vulnerable are being looked after and are speaking freely with others about their trauma which is helping them tremendously. We have done questionnaires which shows we have got this right, with one veteran saying “we had saved his life”.
We are fully supported by our local GPs and if we have a veteran we are worried about we can call that persons GP. (The GPs will then contact that veteran for a medicines review so that they can speak to the veteran and ascertain whether or not they need help). All our Trustees have had first aid training, MH training and some counselling (although we do not counsel our veterans).
We have regular talks from GPs, OTs, Physiotherapists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and the aim is to ensure that our veterans do not miss out on their medical checks as the hubs were set up to address health inequalities in the rural areas of Huddersfield and veterans were seen to be the ones missing out.
We believe that whilst doing crafts etc our veterans are bonding with their colleagues and this is the time when they all get to speak about their ‘war experiences’. There is lots of banter and laughs.
We have veterans who are physically disabled as well as those with mental health problems, CPTSD, anxiety, depression, loneliness and some who are just there for the banter, talks and crafting sessions. Veterans are making new friends and with that comes the “If you need someone to go with you, Ill go with you” attitude, offering lifts and offering help with things that the more disabled veterans cannot do.
We liaise with the RBL, SSAFA if any of our veterans need help and support. We also liaise with the local council re: housing and in the past have used H4H for various activities.
The local social prescribers at our GP practices refer into us as do Walking with the Wounded and H4H.
Service Dogs UK is a unique charity that partners Veterans with PTSD from the Armed Forces and Emergency Services with specially selected dogs from ‘rescue’. Once partnered they embark on a 9 – 12 month journey together, where under our expert guidance, they reach accreditation as an Assistance Dog Partnership.
There is no cost to the Veteran for the dog, the equipment, training, food or insurance, the charity pays all the costs of running the programme until the partnership eventually becomes accredited. It is a challenging journey but the Veterans are supported every step of the way as they work alongside other Veterans with PTSD and mentors who have completed the course. They learn to work as a team, to get to know each others needs and to become an excellent partnership that is proud to be seen in public and wear the special red harness.
All of our Veterans have free ongoing support from us for the life of the partnership and are prioritised for successor dogs. A re-test is required every year at no cost to the Veteran, the continuous support and assistance provided by the charity is part of our commitment to those who have served.
Our training methods and our programme have been formulated following extensive research with the help of a Churchill Fellowship in the USA and the Netherlands. The programme has been proven at every level and is accredited internationally and a member of Assistance Dogs UK.
At each Hub we have a dedicated training team who are there to guide the prospective teams through the programme and onto accreditation. We have Veteran mentors who are on hand to provide support throughout the programme and we link in with other Armed Forces Charities to try and ensure ‘wrap around’ assistance if required.
Established in 1915 to support servicemen who were blinded in WWI, today we help blind and partially sighted veterans no matter how or when they lost their sight – including those who did national service – to adapt to life with a visual impairment.
Our offer is as diverse as those we support. We know that everyone faces different challenges and that everyone’s goals are individual. That’s why our team work with everyone in the way which is right for them.
We give support that ranges from practical advice and identifying solutions that help you stay as independent as possible, to vital emotional support and opportunities to meet others facing sight loss.
Sight Scotland Veterans can also provide specialist equipment free of charge to aid independence in day-to-day tasks – from talking watches, cooking aids and electronic magnifiers, to digital technology such as smartphones or tablets with specialist software for people with sight loss.
The charity’s expert rehabilitation team offer one-to-one assessments and tailored training for specialist equipment and cane and mobility training.
Sight Scotland Veterans also runs two activity hubs for veterans with sight loss: the Linburn Centre in Wilkieston, West Lothian, and the Hawkhead Centre in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Our Association is welfare-focused, providing our members, both former and serving, with a discreet and trusted network of support for themselves and their immediate families.
Welfare and social activities.
Caring can be extremely complicated. The maze of rights and entitlements can be complicated. Filling in paperwork can be complicated. Trying to organise a break can be complicated. Our feelings about caring can certainly be complicated.
We’re here to make sure that no matter how complicated your query or your experience, you don’t have to care alone.
99% of family carers felt that Suffolk Family Carers listened, and gave them information and advice to empower them to make informed decisions about their caring role.
We provide innovative services, often ahead of the field. Our work with young carers is now long established and well respected in over 90 schools and colleges across Suffolk.
We have support workers in all the main hospitals across Suffolk, and GP surgeries in West & East Suffolk, to identify and support family carers.
Our work within the sphere of mental health and wellbeing is considered exemplary by family carers and practitioners alike. Signposting to relevant agencies and providing positive opportunities to meet others in a similar situation, share viewpoints and discuss different strategies.
Suffolk Family Carers provides a wide range of support to unpaid family carers of all ages across Suffolk, helping them manage the emotional, practical and logistical challenges of caring. Our services are designed to ensure carers feel visible, valued, supported and connected.
1. Information, Advice and Guidance
– Offering comprehensive information and advice to help carers understand their rights, access support, and navigate complex systems such as health, social care, and benefits.
– Information Line handles more than 10,000 queries a year, providing tailored advice and practical solutions.
2. Emotional and Wellbeing Support
– Emotional support for family carers, recognising that caring can be isolating and emotionally complex. This includes wellbeing services regarded as exemplary by carers and practitioners.
– Support includes opportunities to meet others in similar situations, share experiences, and learn strategies for managing challenges.
3. Support in Hospitals and the Community
– Suffolk Family Carers has support workers based across major hospitals in Suffolk and in community locations across East and West Suffolk. These teams identify carers early and provide on the spot support.
4. Young Carer and Young Adult Carer Services
– Support for children and young people who care for family members, working in over 90 schools and colleges across Suffolk.
– They also support young adult carers aged 16–24 with tailored advice, training and opportunities.
6. Mental Health and Neurodivergent Support
– Specialist mental health and wellbeing support, signposting to relevant agencies and offering positive opportunities for peer connection.
– Neurodivergent (ND) Project, offering support, workshops and condition specific courses for carers.
7. Education, Training and Courses
– Educational programmes and training to help carers develop skills, better manage their caring responsibilities, and understand relevant conditions or systems.
8. Social Groups, Support Groups and Community Activities
– Support groups and social programmes that help carers build networks, reduce isolation, and access peer support.
9. Breaks and Respite Support
– Respite pass schemes are available to help carers take breaks from their responsibilities, supporting their own health and wellbeing.
Serving Suffolk Families Past & Present:
Suffolk Family Carers also delivers dedicated support through its Serving Suffolk Families work, focusing on the unique needs of family carers in the Armed Forces community living in Suffolk. This programme ensures that forces families—who often face mobility, separation, and increased emotional pressures—are identified, supported, and connected with the right services.
Support is offered to anyone in the armed forces community who has a family caring role, this includes serving, reservists, cadets, veterans, ex service.
Providing:
Information, advice and guidance- tailored specifically for family carers in the armed forces community , helping them understand rights, entitlements and local support options.
Awareness‑raising within the Armed Forces community, ensuring family carers are recognised and can access timely support.
Partnership working with military welfare teams, including at Wattisham Flying Station, RAF Honington and Rock Barracks, to ensure families based on‑site or in the wider community can easily seek help.
Carer Support Groups on military bases, run in partnership with SSAFA, offering a safe space for Armed Forces families to meet, share experiences and access emotional support. These groups run monthly at RAF Honington.
We support serving members of the Armed Forces, their partners and families; military veterans and those who have been bereaved; alongside the local community around where the Armed Forces are based.
We promote the efficiency of the Armed Forces, by nurturing talent, broadening opportunity and supporting the mental, physical and emotional well-being needs.
We’re constantly adapting our approach to best suit the needs of those who come to us for support. We provide the following programmes:
Sport and Recreation – We support active lifestyles and the benefits they have on health and well-being, by providing equine competitions, sporting events and recreational activity. We aim to make our equine centres affordable to all who wish to use them.
Health and Wellbeing – We provide Equine Assisted Services (EAS) to Therapy, Recovery and Rehabilitation. We aim to deliver four equine therapy courses each year to help veterans who are facing severe mental challenges. The Virtual Equestrian Centre provides a platform with pre-recorded video content, tailored to the demands of equestrianism, and is accessible to everyone online.
Learning – We provide Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) to the Neuro Diverse community by focussing on developing life skills, values and building confidence and character.
Welfare – We provide community hubs in our centres, and have a Welfare Hub and Community Café in Tidworth
Governance and Assurance – We provide our equine centres with governance and assurance to deliver a firm base from which to operate.
The Guild is set up to provide financial help, practical assistance and pastoral care to needy people residing within the Borough of Bolton. We have been doing this for more than one hundred years.
The Borough consists of Bolton, Horwich, Westhoughton, Farnworth, Blackrod and all the outlying villages plus anywhere else with a BL postcode who pays their council tax to Bolton Council.
Our Bolton Veterans Aid project provides support to an ever growing number of ex-serviceman and woman, and their families, resident in the Borough.
The Guild has been providing assistance to needy people in Bolton since 1905.
Assistance offered includes the provision of white & brown goods, school uniforms, and debt management advice via our partnership with Christians Against Poverty (CAP). Also, benefits checks via our partnership with Citizens Advice. But we will consider any reasonable requests for help and each case is judged on its merits.
The Guild also acts as a referral agency to local food banks. And, in partnership with Bolton Lions, we provide needy families with sacks of toys at Christmas
We work in partnership with SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity and, also, the Bolton Armed Forces Centre 4 Veterans in support of the military family within the Borough
Provision of offshore sailing to disabled Ex Service Personnel and their dependants and disabled other people of all ages and disabilities.
Offshore Sailing
Day Sailing
Cruises varying in length between 2 and 10 days
RYA Practical Courses
Races
The relief of those in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
Vector24 provides holistic transport support and intelligent signposting to all members of the Armed Forces Community, Merchant Navy and Seafarers, including family members and dependent adults and children across the whole of Scotland, where possible. They offer tailored, compassionate support to ensure no veteran, serving personnel, or their family faces the barriers that life can throw in their way.
Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here