News

Surrey blind veteran to take on 22-mile walk along D-Day beaches for military charity

A blind veteran from Surrey is currently training to take part in a 22-mile walk along on the Normandy coastline to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.

Chris Kennedy, 58 and from Guildford, will take part in the event alongside five other blind veterans supported by Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women. The challenge will take place on 6 June, the anniversary of the 1944 Allied invasion of occupied France.

Chris says: “As soon as I heard about the event I knew I wanted to take part. I think it’s going to be a unique experience, and I very much believe that sight loss shouldn’t stop me from taking on a challenge.”

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Ex-Service personnel more likely to claim disability benefits long-term than unemployment benefits

Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) funded research released today, Tuesday 22nd May, reveals that while nearly a quarter of ex-Service personnel receive unemployment benefit at some point after leaving the Armed Forces, most usage occurs in the period immediately after leaving and is short-term, with only 1.5% continuing to claim the support two years after serving.

The ‘Veterans and benefits’ report, by Dr Howard Burdett of King’s College London (KCL), looks at the relationships between unemployment and disability benefit usage by UK ex-Service personnel, and between social demographics, Service characteristics, mental health (ie Common Mental Disorder (CMD), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)) and alcohol misuse.

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Scotland’s Armed Forces Children’s charity contributes to a new book to commemorate the heroism and kindness shown to Scottish troops in London during the Great War

Scotland’s Armed Forces Children’s Charity, the Royal Caledonian Education Trust, is among ten organisations with long standing links with London, who have contributed to a new book, with a foreword from HRH The Princess Royal, to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War in 2018.

The book titled Scots in Great War London, a Community at Home and on the Frontline 1914-1919 highlights the efforts of these organisations during the First World War and will be published in late June. HRH The Princess Royal is the Patron of the Scots In Great War London Group.

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Veterans share their experiences of military-related trauma to raise awareness of the charity that helped them

A group of veterans have shared their experiences of living with military-related trauma in a new short film for Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health.

The film, which features a round table discussion of four former servicemen, aims to raise awareness of military mental health and the impact that treatment and support from Combat Stress has had on the lives of the veterans.

One of those men is Colin, who joined the Army when he was 18 years old and spent his 18 years of service in Northern Ireland.

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Army&You – Summer Edition

The perfect work-life balance may seem impossible to achieve in Army life but times are changing. In this edition’s main feature, we hear about the Army’s plans for Flexible Service and meet the families who are fitting work around unpredictable schedules and long spells of separation.

Heading overseas, we hear from the Army families who have continued their education and training, maintained their professional registration and even diversified from their original careers.

We shine the spotlight on Cyprus, London and Kinloss and there’s an inspirational story from Everest Base Camp.

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US and UK veterans’ charities to host research seminar bringing world-renowned experts together to tackle sight loss

Media Invite – Photo and Interview opportunity
When: Wednesday 23 May – 12:30
Where: University of Manchester, Theatre A, University Place, M13 9PL

A research seminar bringing world-renowned experts together to discuss sight loss will be taking place in Manchester this week (23/05). The “Sight loss as a consequence of traumatic brain injury and mental health implications” seminar is the second in a series looking at various research and innovation ideas in relation to blind veterans.

The seminar is part of an exchange programme called Project Gemini where members of the US organisation the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) will be visiting Britain to join Blind Veterans UK this week.

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The Koin Club announces its support for veterans’ mental health charity

Collector’s hub, The Koin Club has announced it will be supporting Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health, through the sale of the War Poppy Collection.

The Koin Club is a dedicated collector’s hub for officially licensed commemorative coins in the UK. The Koin Club sells a range of monthly subscriptions and one-off collectable items for a number of fanbases, including Arsenal FC, Marvel and Disney.

The War Poppy Collection, which features artwork by leading War Poppy Artist, Jacqueline Hurley, is available from £9.99 per month. Through the partnership, 10% of each sale will be donated to help fund the vital work Combat Stress does to help former service men and women with mental health problems.

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60 years after the Largest British Nuclear Test: Medal Recognition Campaign

The BNTVA is campaigning for the UK Government to award a medal to the UK personnel who participated in the Nuclear Testing programme around the world.
Help get the recognition these Veterans deserve for the sacrifices they made for their country.
The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) is the premier UK Charity representing all people who have worked with or alongside radioactive material for the benefit of this nation.

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Pre-order our new album ‘Remember’ now!

We’re absolutely delighted to announce that our new album, ‘Remember’, is now available to pre-order on Amazon, due to be released on Friday 29th June 2018!

2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War I. Fierce heroism from the troops at the Front was matched by the country’s women who raised children alone, nursed, and worked tirelessly despite the loss of husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and friends.

69 of our choirs from across the UK and abroad have joined together to acknowledge this poignant occasion through a special commemorative project, coming together with musicians from across the three services to create an album like no other, telling the story of ‘then’ (1918) and ‘now’ (2018).

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US and UK blind veterans to take part in week-long exchange in Wales

Blind military veterans from the US will head to Wales to join national sight loss charity Blind Veterans UK for an exchange week beginning on Sunday (20/05).

Members of the US organisation the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) will be visiting Britain through an exchange programme between the Association and Blind Veterans UK called Project Gemini.

Now in its eighth year, Project Gemini enables Blind Veterans UK and the BVA to share experiences and knowledge about matters such as blind rehabilitation and readjustment training, vision research and adaptive technology for the blind. This year the group will be based at the Blind Veterans UK training and rehabilitation centre in Llandudno.

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Afghanistan support

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