Member Directory

Armed Forces Community HQ CIC

Company Number: 11246325

Armed Forces Community HQ (AFCHQ) was established in November 2018 in Wigan. Our main objective is to support all members of the Armed Forces community to: unite, becoming socially included; inspire, reducing stigma and improving access for those that need help and; achieve better life chances. Our approach is trauma-informed and delivered by people with lived experience; over 80% of our dedicated team of staff and volunteers are members of the Armed Forces community. Designing and developing interventions in co-production with our service users is paramount to the success in supporting them to live well. Our geographical footprint has expanded into Greater Manchester and across the wider North West

Contact Information

http://armedforceshq.org.uk/
info@armedforceshq.org.uk
Molyneux House
School Lane
Wigan
WN1 3SE
01942 821293

Support Offered

Our work spans health & wellbeing, housing & homelessness, skills & employment, relationships & family support, welfare & debt, substance use & addictions, justice system, and social inclusion.

Armed Forces Education Trust

Charity Number: 1167682

The Armed Forces Education Trust is a charity working for children and young adults whose education has been compromised or put at risk as a result of parents’ past or current service in our Armed Forces. The grants we give make a difference to young lives, helping improve their educational opportunities or supporting special skills or talents.

Contact Information

http://armedforceseducation.org/
admin@armedforceseducation.org
PO Box 684
Farnham
GU9 1LP

Support Offered

The Armed Forces Education Trust target young people under the age of 25 who are, or were, dependents of serving members of the UK armed forces, who would not achieve their educational potential without extra financial support. We support those who fit these criteria who can demonstrate that they have been impacted or disadvantaged, or have financial difficulties, as a consequence of the service of the relative on whom they depend.

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

Citizens Advice Solent East

Charity Number: 1039776

Citizens Advice Portsmouth has recently merged with Havant and Gosport branches to become Citizens Advice Solent East (CASE). We are a local charity dedicated to providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents of Portsmouth, Havant and Gosport. Our mission is to empower individuals by helping them navigate and overcome a wide variety of challenges, including debt, housing, benefits, employment, and consumer rights. We are part of the larger Citizens Advice network, committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination, and influencing social policy for positive change. We collaborate with local governments and other organisations to address the root causes of issues and enhance the overall well-being of our community. For 85 years, we have offered guidance to help people overcome their challenges and advocated on major issues when their voices need to be heard, working to create a fairer and more just society for everyone.

Contact Information

https://casolenteast.org.uk/
contactus@casolenteast.org.uk
Unit 2-3
Ark Royal House
Winston Churchill Avenue
PO1 2GF

Support Offered

Services offered include:

• Access to Justice – a service to help people challenge housing decisions and benefits appeals.
• Armed Forces Covenant – providing broad help and support to veterans, serving members of the armed forces and their families.
• Generalist advice – a limited service provided by volunteers offering a face to face drop in, email or phone based general advice and signposting.
• Help to Claim – a support service focussing on benefits with help and ongoing support to make a claim for Universal Credit.
• Home & Well – a referral only service for clients who have recently been discharged from hospital or at risk of hospitalisation, to ensure vulnerable clients can remain safe and well in their home. Funded by energy and utility companies. Help with financial, employment, benefits, and housing concerns.
• Macmillan – for those affected by cancer, offering help, advice and support with benefits, money matters, debts, pensions, insurance, employment, housing, charitable grants and more.
• Money and Pensions Service – a service providing specialist debt advice and casework for people seeking to resolve their known debt issues and formal / informal debt solutions.
• Work Out Your Money – focusing on money management, to help improve knowledge, skills, and confidence with budgeting, borrowing and debt.
• Older Persons Service – offering additional assistance to over 65s with debt, benefits, consumer, employment, housing and more.
• SAIAS – a social enterprise specialist immigration advice service offering low cost or free immigration advice and support.

Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

Charity Number: 1171947
Scottish Charity Number: SC051982

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) is the charitable arm of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and was founded in 2017 with the purpose of engaging and educating people, especially younger generations, with the ongoing work of the CWGC and the stories of those who served and died in the First and Second World Wars. Our aim is to ensure the memories of the fallen live on by supporting education, outreach, and innovative projects that connect communities with the global heritage of remembrance and bring their stories to life.

Contact Information

http://foundation.cwgc.org/
supporters@cwgc.org
2 Marlow Road
Maidenhead
SL6 7DX

Support Offered

The CWGC was founded by Royal Charter in 1917 and has been commemorating more than 1.7 million First and Second World War dead for over 100 years. The CWGF was founded in 2017 and supports the expertise of the CWGC in sharing the stories of the individuals commemorated by the CWGC by funding educational and engagement projects and initiatives which include talks, guided tours, international education opportunities, maintaining and preserving scattered war graves, heritage initiatives and community projects.

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.

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

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Afghanistan support

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