For Sgt Steve Lawrence joining the RAF had been a long held ambition – he’d been dreaming of a career as an Air Force engineer since the age of 14!
Now, aged 42, as he approaches his 23rd year in service, his dedication to his duty has been repaid by the RAF Benevolent Fund, repaying the debt we all owe to those who serve their country.
Read moreIn the first attempt of its kind, four RAF personnel will scale the 837 steps of London’s iconic Gherkin skyscraper 50 times, to match the height of the world’s tallest mountain Mount Everest.
Standing at 180m tall over 38 floors, The Gherkin, officially known as 30 St Mary’s Axe, will double up as the 8,848m high mountain in the gruelling 12-hour challenge, to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Read moreMarathon man Jon Ward dons his trainers for his 99th marathon out of 100 this weekend as he lines up to compete in the Scottish Borders Marathon.
Jon, a Corporal in the Royal Air Force, set himself the ambitious target of completing 100 official marathons, to mark the RAF centenary. This weekend will see him take on his 99th race, with his impressive challenge coming to an end in Gravesend on 1 April, 2018, 100 years to the day since the RAF was formed.
Read moreFollow this link to all the latest news from Forward Assist.
Read moreKent Police is working with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity to identify serving personnel, veterans and their families in custody.
Individuals can then refer themselves to the charity or a Kent Police officer or staff member can make the referral on their behalf.
They will then be able to gain access to practical, emotional and financial advice through SSAFA, which it is hoped will lessen their chances of coming into contact with the police again in the future.
Read moreArmy Veteran, Dave Mills, has pledged to walk for the next two years for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity
Yesterday Army veteran Dave Mills set off on his two-year-long fundraiser, walking around the globe to raise money for SSAFA. On a sunny Monday morning, Sir Andrew Gregory CEO of SSAFA and fellow staff gathered to wave him off from the significant starting place of the Cenotaph in London.
Read moreNew government bursary of £40,000 available from September 2018 for ex-service personnel to retrain as teachers
Pupils across the country are set to benefit from the leadership and world-renowned expertise of our armed forces – as the government unveils a £40,000 bursary for ex-service personnel to retrain as a teacher.
Read moreAlabaré today welcomes new research commissioned by veterans’ housing charity Stoll and social housing provider Riverside that highlights the problems faced by ex-service personnel upon leaving the Forces.
The research, conducted by the University of York and funded by the Forces in Mind Trust, showed that the veterans who took part in the study experienced a varied quality of advice on transitioning from the Armed Forces and inconsistent support from local housing authorities.
Read moreNew research commissioned by Stoll and Riverside, released today [Tuesday 6th March] at an event at the House of Lords, highlights how some vulnerable ex-Service personnel in crisis are not accessing support services resulting in homelessness after leaving the Armed Forces.
The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) funded research, conducted by York University, found that of participating veterans, many experienced inconsistent quality of advice on transitioning from Service and inadequate support from Local Housing Authorities in the years after leaving service, many of whom did not identify the specialist support available to veterans.
Read moreThe Trustees of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children’s Fund would like to announce that after 36 years dedicated service, our Director, Monique Bateman MBE will retire. She will be succeeded by our Assistant Director, Ms Clare Scherer, who will assume the appointment from 11 May 2018. The Trustees would like to express their gratitude to Monique for her years of exceptional, dedicated service. She will be sadly missed by staff, Trustees and, most particularly, by the many thousands of children and their families whose lives she has transformed.
Read more
Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
