News

Queen’s Birthday Honours – local man recognised for international contribution to RAF Association’s charity work

Barry Furness, of Fareham, Hampshire, has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours awards in recognition of his work for the Royal Air Forces Association –the charity that provides welfare support to the RAF family.

Nick Bunting, Secretary General of the Association said, “Since 1974, Barry has worked ceaselessly to promote the aims of the Royal Air Forces Association and in doing so has reached a huge variety of people. His remarkable drive, infectious enthusiasm and strong leadership, in posts from the bottom to the top of the Association, have inspired those he has reached and greatly strengthened support for the Association, locally and nationally and abroad.”

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Military Charities join forces to launch new service for veterans

Veterans’ Gateway, a new service providing a first point of contact for veterans seeking support, launched across the UK last week. Veterans’ Gateway will improve access to welfare services and speed-up the time it takes for veterans to receive the support they deserve.

Developed in response to Lord Ashcroft’s Veterans’ Transition Review, Veterans’ Gateway is a £2 million service funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) from the Covenant Fund and will be delivered by a consortium comprising The Royal British Legion, Poppyscotland, Combat Stress, Connect Assist, the Ministry of Defence and SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity.

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Full steam ahead for launch of volunteer scheme for ex-forces

The Royal British Legion and North Norfolk Railway (NNR) have launched a joint referral scheme for ex-Service personnel that will offer voluntary opportunities in a range of positions within a unique working environment.

Launched on Saturday 24th June at NNR Holt Station, during the Tracks & Trenches weekend event, the new scheme is a collaboration between the Legion and NNR that will offer recent service leavers and veterans a chance to gain new skills and meet like-minded people.

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Manchester veterans stage art exhibition to aid their recovery

An exhibition of sculptures created by military veterans from Manchester opened at the Lowry Hotel on Thursday 22nd June.

12 wounded, injured and sick Service personnel from Greater Manchester joined Bravo 22, a Royal British Legion project using art to aid their recovery.

They’ve been working with professional sculptor Al Johnson, who said: “This is an exciting opportunity to take part in a creative project making life-size sculptures, and to share these very personal pieces with the public at an exhibition at the Lowry Hotel. It will be life-changing for some of them.

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Cumbria blind veteran to tackle third 100km ultra-challenge walk for military charity

A blind veteran who battled a brain tumour and two bouts of meningitis is set to tackle a third 100km ultra-challenge walk for the military charity who supports him.

Darren Blanks, 30, and a father-of-two from Egremont, hopes to walk from London to Brighton in 15 hours this weekend for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

He jokes: “I completed the 100k London to Brighton in 25 hours in 2014, but I blame sitting in the pub for too long. I want to get a faster time this year and reckon I can do the 100k in under 15 hours.”

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We’ll meet again – Normandy Veterans’ Reunion 2017

Following our previous Autumn get-togethers, plans are taking shape for a Reunion for Normandy Veterans again this Autumn. This year we are planning the event in Portsmouth to be held over the weekend Friday 29th September through to Sunday 1st October.

It will commence with a get-together with a light buffet supper in the Engine Room Bar, Royal Maritime Club, Portsmouth – 1900hrs on the Friday evening 29th September.

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New Forces in Mind Trust Report: UK Armed Forces veterans may be more at risk of developing problem gambling

In a new report released today (21 June) by Swansea University and funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), preliminary findings suggest UK veterans may be at an increased risk of developing gambling problems than non-veterans, and that this vulnerability may be related to prior experience of traumatic events.

The report, entitled ‘Gambling in Armed Forces Veterans: Results from the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of England’, was conducted by Professor Simon Dymond and Elystan Roberts of the Department of Psychology at Swansea University, and colleagues from Bangor University, Anglia Ruskin University and Veterans NHS Wales.

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Sea Cadets visit RFA Argus to mark Seafarers Awareness Week

Sea Cadets from London, Kent and Essex had an amazing opportunity to tour casualty ship RFA Argus at the start of Seafarers Awareness Week (24-30 June), the annual campaign coordinated by maritime charity Seafarers UK.

100 young people and volunteers from Sea Cadets units in Beckenham and Penge, Bexley and Lewisham, Orpington, Southwark, Sutton, Chelmsford, Maldon and District and Thurrock visited the vessel moored at Greenwich on Monday 26 June.

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SBS Veteran and Channel 4 presenter, Ant Middleton, is announced as new ambassador for Give Us Time

Ant Middleton, an SBS veteran and presenter on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, has just been announced as an Ambassador for the Forces Charity, Give Us Time.

Rupert Forrest, Managing Director of Give us Time, said:

“I am very pleased that Ant Middleton has decided to become a Give Us Time Ambassador. Having completed three tours of active service in Afghanistan he has personal experiences which help him understand many of the difficulties experienced by our beneficiaries.”

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Procurement of a national veterans’ mental health intensive service – market engagement event

NHS England has published information on the Contract Finder website relating to a market engagement event for the procurement of a national veterans’ mental health intensive service (VMH IS).

Building on the recent launch of the veterans’ mental health transition, liaison and intervention service, the VMH IS service will provide an enhanced service for veterans who have complex mental health problems that are attributable to military service, which have not been resolved earlier in the care/support pathway and require an intensive and assertive multi-disciplinary package of clinical and social interventions, where a military culturally-sensitive approach would assist the rapport and therapeutic outcome/s for the patient.

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Afghanistan support

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