Special Forces veteran teams up with SSAFA to ensure a fulfilled life for veterans after military life
Ant Middleton, star of SAS Who Dares Wins and Special Forces veteran, has teamed up with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, to launch the Ant Middleton Fund, to help veterans get back on their feet as they return to civilian life.
Read moreA local Navy veteran has completed the ultimate SAS selection challenge and raised over £4,000 for the charities that have supported him after he was diagnosed with PTSD.
Last Saturday, John Mew, 60, from Dinnington in Newcastle took part in the gruelling 24km Fan Dance Race, which sees participants run over the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons, Pen Y Fen, not just once – but twice.
Read moreAt 10.15am on 2 August 2018, Rally for Heroes will roar away from a starting block of the Horse Guards Parade and down The Mall in London, just outside Buckingham Palace. Set to be launched by a celebrity special guest, the 60 vehicle-strong convoy will head down to Dover and then cover a total of 3,000 miles across Europe – 5 miles for every fallen Forces hero since the start of the Afghanistan campaign.
Read moreNation’s Oldest Army Regiment to perform to raise money for SSAFA.
On the evening of Saturday 28th July, locals are set to be delighted by the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards performing inside the atmospheric Exeter Cathedral. The concert will be raising money for the Devon branch of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, following a connection made by the SSAFA Devon Branch Patron, Lord Clifford (a former Coldstream Guards Officer and President of the local Coldstream Guards Association).
Read moreIn time for the centenary of the end of the First World War, a special collaboration has been announced between SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and Steiff.
The oldest, tri-service military charity and the world’s oldest manufacturer of hand-crafted stuffed animals for collectors and machine washable plush toys for children have come together to honour this poignant moment in history, with a limited-edition collector’s Armistice Bear. Each bear sold will raise £20 for SSAFA – helping to provide practical, emotional and financial help for the Armed Forces community in need.
Read moreA major research report, The Nation’s Duty: challenging society’s disservice to a new generation of veterans, is published today by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
The report is based on an extensive survey of more than 1,000 veterans helped by the charity, and other members of the veteran community, as well as members of the public.
SSAFA warns that it is dealing with a younger generation of veterans who feel increasingly alienated from society. The disturbing disconnect between younger veterans and the rest of nation, cannot be simply left to the Government or the military to resolve and must be addressed by society as a whole.
Last year, SSAFA Test Valley were approached with a very special request from Army veteran Steve Kirk, who served in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR). His terminally-ill wife, Marie, wanted to fulfil one of her bucket list dreams of flying in a hot air balloon before it was too late.
Knowing how much this would mean to the couple, the local branch of the Armed Forces charity sprang into action. SSAFA Caseworker Scott Campbell took the lead on this extra-special mission.
After arranging the funds required from PWRR Benevolent Fund, Scott personally upgraded the experience for Marie and Steve.
Read moreA local volunteer from Lancashire has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Frank McKnight, 63, from Lancashire has been awarded a BEM for his voluntary services to SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. SSAFA provides lifelong support to those currently serving, veterans and their families in their time of need.
Frank, a Navy veteran, has been an integral part of the SSAFA Lancashire branch since 1995 as a volunteer caseworker and member of the IT user group, where he helped move the branch from paper-based to computer-based systems.
Read moreTo celebrate this year’s Armed Forces Week, the Staffordshire branch of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, will be holding a family fundraiser on Saturday 23 June at CASA, in Bridge Street, Stafford.
The mayor of Stafford will be officially opening the afternoon fundraiser at 12.30pm, which will include a barbeque, cake sale and entertainment from The Cannock Ex-Servicemen’s Male Voice Choir and The Military Wives Choir. There will be military memorabilia on display and the opportunity to chat to people from both the serving and ex-serving local community.
Read moreGiving the gift of time to help Armed Forces community this Volunteers Week
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is marking Volunteers Week by celebrating its incredible 5,802 volunteers across the country who donated 1.25 million hours of their time last year.
Volunteers are at the heart of SSAFA’s work with the Armed Forces family. In 2017, SSAFA volunteers provided vital support to over 20,800 serving personnel, veterans and their families.
SSAFA branches provide personalised one-to-one support to the Armed Forces community in the area.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here