News

Veterans struggling with life after the military are urged to join a unique Peer Support Service

Former servicemen and women who are struggling to cope with life outside of the military are being urged to sign up to a Peer Support Service, delivered by veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress.

Led by veterans for veterans, it’s the first UK-wide service of its kind for those with mental health problems. The Peer Support Service, funded by The Royal British Legion, helps those veterans whose mental health has been affected by their time in the Armed Forces, and who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation after leaving the military.

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Gallantry Art partners with veterans’ mental health charity

Gallantry Art has announced it will be supporting veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress through the sale of artwork on its online gallery.

The gallery, that exclusively sells artwork created by both serving personnel and former servicemen and women, will donate 10% of profits to Combat Stress. This donation will support the work the charity does to help former servicemen and women deal with trauma-related mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Combat Stress’ Deputy Treatment Centre Manager awarded prestigious Churchill Fellowship

The Deputy Treatment Centre Manager of Combat Stress’ centre in Scotland has received a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to visit the US and Canada to see how they’re supporting families of veterans with mental health problems.

Hayley Thompson, who works at the charity’s treatment centre Hollybush House in Ayr, will spend six weeks in the autumn studying what support is available to partners and carers of veterans in North America.

Among the organisations she’s hoping to meet is a US helpline that educates, supports and empowers family members and friends seeking support for a veteran.

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Veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress to host business symposium

The power and potential of veterans in the workplace is the focus of this year’s free-to-attend Military Mind business symposium.

Sponsored by Thales and presented by Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health, the symposium will explore practical ways companies can ensure the workplace wellbeing of their veteran and reservist employees.

Held on 15 May in London and 17 May in Edinburgh, the event coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week and will centre on what support companies can implement, regardless of their size or sector.

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Explorer Levison Wood delivers inspiring speech to military veterans at Combat Stress centre

Bestselling author, explorer and photographer Levison Wood, visited the UK’s leading charity for veterans mental health on Wednesday to talk to former servicemen and women about his career as an officer in the Parachute Regiment and his transition to becoming an explorer.

While at Audley Court, the Combat Stress centre in Newport, Shropshire, Levison was taken on a tour to see how the charity supports veterans with mental health conditions. The services provided at the centre include occupational therapy workshops, which help veterans improve their physical health and wellbeing, relationships, behaviour, beliefs, emotions and thinking. This enables veterans to become more resilient and cope better with their condition.

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World War Two book set raises £100,000 for veterans’ mental health charity

A set of books that bring together the moving stories of every Special Air Service and Long Range Desert group casualty of the Second World War has raised £100,000 for Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health.

After 13 years of research, the author, who writes under the anonymous name of Ex-Lance-corporal X, published The SAS and LRDG Roll of Honour 1941-47 in 2016. The set of three books celebrate the extraordinary and often unreported bravery of 374 casualties during the Second World War.

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Wiltshire fundraiser to run the London Marathon in memory of Afghanistan veteran

A fundraiser from Wiltshire will take part in the London Marathon this year in aid of Combat Stress, after they helped her friend’s son, Marc, before he sadly passed away from a heart condition last year.

Catherine Parfitt decided to support the veterans’ mental health charity after they helped Marc, who had post-traumatic stress disorder following tours of Afghanistan.

Catherine said “Marc was really struggling with his mental health and Combat Stress supported him. If he was still here he would be wanting to raise money to support their work.

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Combat Stress responds to loss of funding from NHS England

By Sue Freeth, Chief Executive, Combat Stress.
Combat Stress’ residential programmes for veterans living with mental health problems are respected around the world. So why is the UK withdrawing £3.2 million in funding from this life saving work?

The recent announcement of our new helpline for those serving in the armed forces is most welcome. So too is NHS England’s investment in specialist mental health community services for veterans. But these services alone are not enough.

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March in March for veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress

Put your best foot forward this March in aid of veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress, as they seek to raise money to meet the staggering increase in demand for their specialist services.

In the last ten years, the number of former servicemen and women with mental health problems who have contacted the charity for treatment has risen by 143% – from 994 in 2006/7 to 2,420 in 2016/17. The NHS, Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress’ own research forecast that demand for veterans’ mental health services will continue to rise over the next decade.

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Former soldier gets fit to take part in nine fundraising challenges in aid of veterans’ mental health

Having lost six stone, a former soldier from Derbyshire will now be taking on nine fundraising challenges in 12 months to raise money for Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health.

When Paul Thompson left the Army in 2009, he stopped exercising and began drinking heavily. Six years later and weighing 19 stone, he set himself the challenge of taking part in his first duathlon in 2015 to motivate himself to get fit again.

Paul said: “I realised that something needed to change, so I stopped drinking and started training. I lost six stone in 2015 and set myself the challenge of taking part in a duathlon – it really helped me to have a goal to focus on.”

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By @Cobseo 56 years ago

Afghanistan support

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