News

Over 4,000 people set Longleat aglow for Alabaré

Last Saturday (9th September) an astonishing 4,000 participants gathered in the iconic grounds of the Longleat Estate to take part in Glow in the Park:Longleat, the 6km UV family fun run.

The wet weather did not dampen the spirits and the crowd and atmosphere were buzzing with excitement. Families, running groups, groups of friends, individuals were swept around the course to 80s and 90s tunes. Disco The grounds were awash with neon sweatbands, face paints, neon tutus and smiles.

The course wound its way round the spectacular estate finishing in front of Longleat House and featured seven fun zones, including The Fluorescent Paint Blast, Squelchy Foam Zone, and for brave hearted runners The Lion’s Den!

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The medal that saved my life

Tulsidevi Danai holds up a battered medal bearing the likeness of King George VI. To her, it is the difference between life and death.

“This is my evidence for getting my Welfare Pension [from The Gurkha Welfare Trust],” she explains. Her husband, Rifleman Bakhansing Khatri, earned it for his service during the Second World War, fighting in the jungles of Burma.

“It was hard for them,” she says. “They didn’t have enough supplies. When he used to fill his water bottle in the jungle it was dirty and full of leeches. But they had no choice but to drink it.

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The Mental Health of the UK Armed Forces – updated briefing note

This briefing note (updated July 2017) provides an outline of the current evidence on UK military mental health, including prevalence rates of mental health problems in serving regulars, serving reserves and those who have left service. Findings relating to suicide, help-seeking, risk-taking, violence, offending and
deployment mental health support are also addressed.

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New Forces in Mind Trust Award: King’s College London to explore Domestic Violence and Abuse among military spouses and partners

Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) is delighted to award a grant of £153,272 to King’s College London (KCL), to conduct a study to explore the impact of life in the Armed Forces on relationships from the perspective of civilian spouses and partners, who have been victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) by their military counterparts.

The 18-month study aims to address the lack of evidence from the perspective of the spouse, and identify their attitudes to help-seeking and their perceptions of support available. This research is part of a larger study, seeking to establish prevalence and risk factors for DVA within the Armed Forces environment.

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Innovative use of ‘Dead Space’ in the Hospitality Sector

According to industry experts, bedroom and bed-space occupancy across the serviced accommodation sector (Resorts, hotels, cottages and B&Bs) has on average remained flat and ranges between 8 out of ten rooms to 7 in in ten rooms in the North of the country. From the data available in the EU occupation ranges from just three in ten to 7 in ten. There are clearly seasonal variations but minimising Dead Space is a challenge for all.

How to make the most of this spare capacity and make it profitable

A number of hotel and property owners, at home and overseas, are already donating their spare capacity to charity. The Military Charity Give Us Time assists Service families who are in need: the beneficiaries have suffered bereavement, physical injuries and mental illnesses, have challenging financial circumstances and/or separation due to deployment. The best way to employ your spare capacity is to donate it to charitable causes like Give Us Time.

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Storybook Waves book club in a box

A new initiative by the Aggie Weston’s Storybook Waves project has secured funding from the Annington Trust of over £40,000 for the next three years. Launching at the end of September 2017, the ‘Storybook Waves Book Club in a Box’ initiative seeks to relieve the anxiety of separation that families experience by connecting them through books and a nationwide network of Book Clubs.

Held in community houses at 21 base port areas, the Book Clubs will generally be hosted by Aggie Weston’s Pastoral Workers and will run monthly during term time. Aimed primarily at families of deployed personnel, The Book Clubs will seek to bring families together for fun-filled activity sessions based around the theme of a popular children’s book. While children play, parents can socialise and Pastoral Workers will be on hand to provide support and a listening ear to anyone struggling with the challenges that deployment can bring.

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RAF charity seeks fundraising volunteers to give its appeal wings

The Royal Air Forces Association is looking for volunteer fundraising team leaders and fundraisers to help fund its welfare work in specific areas in the UK.

“Forces personnel and their families sacrifice a normal family life to keep the rest of us safe,” says Katharine Montgomery, Volunteer Manager at the Association. “And we believe that we owe them a debt of gratitude once they have served. We are a welfare charity that focuses on providing practical and emotional help for service personnel and their partners and dependents. We are setting up brand new fundraising teams – looking for people who are passionate about raising money to fund our welfare support for the veterans and serving men and women in the Royal Air Force.”

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‘I Married a Soldier’

Brenda Hale, our Charity Ambassador, is now a published author! ‘’I Married a Soldier’ follows Brenda’s experience of losing her husband, Captain Mark Hale, whilst he was serving with 2 RIFLES in Afghanistan on the 13th August 2009.

Mark’s unit had been providing security for a meeting of local leaders in Sangin and searching a mosque for ammunition, when a soldier triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

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An honest account of the Spinnaker Tower Abseil

The Spinnaker Tower Abseil, which has been fantastically organised by our Home Counties office since 2013, is just one of the extreme events that ABF The Soldiers’ Charity offers. Soaring 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent, the Emirates Spinnaker Tower is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben, and has already established itself as a national icon for Britain.

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Afghanistan support

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here