Member Directory

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.

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
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

Explora Scholarship Fund

Charity Number: 1152232
Company Number: 8381653

The Explora Scholarship Funds main object, is to advance education by providing funds, and facilitating the establishment of scholarships in further, or higher education, for the dependents of severely injured (physically or mentally) and deceased members of the UK Armed Forces and UK Security Services who were in Government Service when killed or injured. The ESF became a full member of the confederation of service charities in February 2015

Contact Information

http://www.theexplorascholarshipfund.org
Unit 9 Talina Centre
23A Bagley's Lane
London
SW6 2BW
0207 736 3420

Support Offered

The ESF will disburse scholarship funds in the UK, mainly for post-graduate degree education in architecture, engineering and the applied sciences in a field relating to physical protection. Typically this might be protection against explosive blast or ballistic injury. Funds can be granted for up to four year’s study for any one individual. In certain circumstances, scholarships can also be granted to members of the UK Armed Forces or UK Security Serviceswho have suffered severe physical or mental health injury as a result of Government Service.Further or Higher Educationmay range from A-Level/Diploma/Foundation Degree to a First Degree. Disability may also include stress related trauma. In exceptional circumstances, an individual benefiting from an initial Further or Higher education course might be considered for a later stage of education eg post graduate.
Dependent.
This includes spouse, children, legally dependent partners, and other family members who are, or were, directly dependent upon the income of the killed or injured member of the UK Armed Forcesor UK Security Services.

Forces Children Scotland (Royal Caledonian Trust)

Charity Number: 310952

Forces Children Scotland supports children and young people from serving personnel, reservist and veteran families to reach their potential and thrive. We achieve this by working collaboratively across sectors to drive improvements which reflect and support the unique challenges they face. We amplify their voices, ensuring they are heard and influence the development of policy and practice.

We support the children and young people of Scottish regular and reservist personnel as well as veterans of all arms of the British Armed Forces, who reside anywhere across the United Kingdom. We also support the children and young people of regular and reservist personnel who aren’t Scottish and are currently based or residing in Scotland.

Contact Information

https://forceschildrenscotland.org.uk/
admin@forceschildrenscotland.org.uk
15 Hill Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3JP
0131 240 2224

Support Offered

• We create opportunities for children and young people to be heard, make new friends and get involved in lots of different, creative ways
• We give financial support in different ways for children, young people and their families including our School Children’s Fund, College & University Student’s Fund, Support in a Crisis, Family Time Break Fund, Young Carers Support
• We deliver projects and services that help support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing and education and learning
• We provide advice and support to those who support children and young people through a programme of training, resources, research, and access to our advisory service
• We build sector partnerships to help influence change in policy and practice

Forces Online CIO

Charity Number: 1188955
Scottish Charity Number: SC050678

Forces Online is a small, registered online veteran’s charity that was setup for:
“The relief of former members of the armed forces services personnel, their families and dependents; who are in need by reason of age, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage, in particular but not exclusively providing them by multi-disciplinary team (advice, information and signposting and bespoke support), through collaboration, networking and campaigning for better access to services, we aim to continue to improve the lives of our beneficiary’s so that they have an enhanced quality of life and overall wellbeing for their benefit, by the provision of services as the trustees feel fit.”
We are registered in England and Wales Reg No 1188955, In Scotland as a cross-border charity Reg No SC050678. In Norther Ireland we are currently known as a 167 which is a registered charity working across the UK including Northern Ireland, where we have registered a current statement of Intent and will be called forward for formal registration in due course.

Contact Information

https://www.forcesonline.org.uk
administration@forcesonline.org.uk
Unit 5
Workshed Carriageworks
London Street,Swindon
SN1 5DG

Support Offered

At Forces Online we categorise support with a single motto which is: “Helping armed forces veterans, their families and dependents wherever we can”.
We are a team that comprises of veterans themselves, and some of whom have experienced real life issues because of their service within the armed forces and other life issues.
There is no one label that fits what we do, and we never know what’s coming through the door next. What we do know is when a veteran decides to cry out for help this is not something that has been an easy decision for them. Working through direct support and signposting to other experienced services we have been able to respond quickly to veterans in need of help and support. Whether this is a large complex issue needing a multi-disciplinary approach or a simple enquiry resolution we are here to help.
See https://www.forcesonline.org.uk/promptsheet.pdf for further guidance.

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Our Executive Members

By @Cobseo 56 years ago

Afghanistan support

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