The Army Families Federation (AFF) is delighted to hear that a new £200,000 fund to support Service families in Wales has been announced by the Welsh Government. In 2017, the charity sent a detailed brief, on families’ behalf, to the Education Minister Kirsty Williams, highlighting the need for targeted pupil funding for Armed Forces children in Wales, and they are pleased to see that this important issue has now been recognised.
Read moreCapt James Wadsworth Challenge Events releases details on the next two annual Victory Swims, a challenge offering different swimming lengths and environments
The Victory Swim, the annual water-based challenge supported by the Royal Navy, has announced its dates and details for both 2018 and 2019.
The 2018 event, which will raise money for the Felix Fund, will take place on Thursday 6 September at Waterland Outdoor Pursuits, Lake 32 Cotswold Water Park near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
Read moreKing’s Lynn based medical device manufacturer, Bespak, has chosen to support its neighbouring charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers as Charity of the Year.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity which supports over 300 bereaved Armed Forces children across the UK, was selected following an employee vote to benefit from the company’s support over the next 12 months.
As part of its Charity of the Year commitment, Bespak, the leading developer and manufacturer of complex medical devices, are looking forward to getting involved in the many challenges that Scotty’s Little Soldiers participate in and will be organising a number of fundraising activities.
Read more
The Service Complaints Ombudsman’s Annual Report 2017 describes the work undertaken by the Office of the Service Complaints Ombudsman (OSCO) throughout 2017 and reports on the current state of the Service complaints process.
In its second year of operation, and despite clear improvements that have been made, the Ombudsman finds that the Service complaints process is neither efficient, effective or fair at this stage.
Read moreInformation days will provide the opportunity to find out more about the different NHS organisations as well as the work experience opportunities, job vacancies and training which may be of interest. It will also enable networking with NHS employers, partner organisations, employees and fellow service leavers.
Read moreThe service leavers guide offers information and advice prior to and after leaving regular service.
The guide contains information about armed forces pensions, resettlement, reserve liability and support from charitable organisations.
Of particular importance to service leavers is the Pen 1 form which should be completed at the 6 month point prior to your last day of service using the link on your JPA account.
Read moreThe Star & Garter Club, a new day care service for veterans, is helping to tackle loneliness in the Solihull area. The service is provided by The Royal Star & Garter Homes, a charity which provides specialist residential care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.
Norma is a guest who has been attending since the service started. She commented, “It’s fantastic here. Where I live I don’t get to talk to many people, so it really makes a difference coming here and having lots of people to chat with. My family are very happy knowing that I’m mixing with people.”
Read moreOn the 11th December 2017, Christopher Legg, an Ammunition Technician in the Royal Logistic Corps was tragically killed in a road traffic accident while serving in Canada.
Chris’ family; wife, sister, father and uncle are tackling the Jurassic Coast challenge in July to raise money for Felix Fund in his memory.
Taking on the 42km walk from Weymouth to Bridport they hope to raise a substantial sum which will go towards helping Chris’ friends and colleagues, both still serving and those who have since left the military.
Read moreA growing partnership between Help for Heroes and Essex Wildlife Trust has this week broken new ground.
The military charity and conservation charity have been working together for several years. Over the last six months a new project has seen Help for Heroes veterans, their families and volunteers coppicing hazels from Essex Wildlife Trust land. They have then been taught the new skill of weaving hazel hurdle fences which are being installed into the ‘Hope on the Horizon’ garden at Colchester Recovery Centre on Wednesday.
Read moreFollow this link to all the highlights from the last month from Blesma.
Read more
Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
