A Northumberland veteran who flew home to Britain aboard a Lancaster bomber on VE Day itself has celebrated his 104th birthday surrounded by family, friends and marked by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The Countess of Scarbrough, Henrietta Lumley, President of SSAFA South Yorkshire Branch, has been recognised for 15 years of dedicated service supporting the Armed Forces community at the charity’s recent Annual General Meeting.

A dedicated Barnsley volunteer who has spent four decades supporting the Armed Forces community has been formally presented with one of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity’s highest honours.

Lynne Doherty, SSAFA’s Director of Social Care Operations, has released a comment one the Armed Forces Bill Special Report.

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been awarded a grant of nearly £25,000 by The Armed Forces Covenant Fund (AFCFT) for the provision of counselling for those in the military community experiencing domestic abuse.

April 21, 2026 marks the centenary of the birth of the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning Monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, and as such, it is a moment of reflection not just for the nation, but very much also for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.