Follow this link to all the latest news from Blesma.
Read moreFollow this link to all the latest news from Blesma.
Read moreA survey from Help for Heroes* has revealed that many ex-servicemen and women in the UK have issues sleeping, with over 2 in 5 (41%) stating that they sleep badly on an average night (compared to 27% of the general public, according to a study from the Sleep Council**). Indeed, a quarter of veterans get less than five hours’ sleep on an average night – much less than the widely recommended eight hours.
The results also show that in particular those aged between 25 and 54 struggle to regularly get a good night’s sleep (58%), and that female veterans suffer most, with almost 4 in 5 (70%) of those surveyed saying that they feel they don’t get enough sleep.
Read moreWalking With The Wounded (WWTW) is exceptionally proud of beneficiary, Kyle, who is planning to run from Warrington to Ipswich in just 5 days. Kyle will be starting his 210 mile journey from Warrington on Monday 4th September, aiming to run 42 miles per day.
Kyle served with 9 Parachute Squadron RE (Royal Engineers) and served 2 tours of Afghanistan.
Kyle has explained on his Just Giving page: “I am trying to raise as much money as possible… for PTSD victims.” He is hoping to raise £1000 for the military charity Walking With The Wounded, which supports physically, mentally and socially wounded ex-servicemen and women back into independence by assisting them into sustainable employment and helping them to reintegrate back into society.
Read more17th August 2017 – The Royal Star & Garter Homes is proud to announce that both the Charity’s Homes’ have been awarded the Level 1 Kitemark by Dementia Care Matters, following recent, unannounced audits. The Charity has Homes in Solihull, West Midlands, and Surbiton, Surrey.
Level 1 is the highest accolade achievable through Dementia Care Matters’ National ‘Butterfly Home Quality of Life National Accreditation Kitemark’ awards. It indicates that a Home is demonstrating ‘exceptional person-centred dementia care of the highest quality of life level’. Only 1% of care homes within the UK achieve a Level 1 distinction.
Read moreA woman from West London is preparing to run the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Louise Viisminas, 49 and from Hayes, is taking on the 13.1 mile challenge as part of a wider fitness regime that has seen her lose an astonishing 52 kilos, more than eight stone, since Febraury 2016. She explains: “I ended up having a few health issues and eventually came to the realisation that it had to stop. Something needed to change and that’s when I decided to start improving my fitness.
“I’m now in a place where I’ve constantly got to challenge myself. I do the park run every week, which is 5k, and also took part in a charity walk last september. I ended up covering 7k in 50 minutes, and then thought, why not starting running?”
Read moreWe hope that the new site will provide a user-friendly and functional approach for Armed Forces families who are seeking support and also other charities who may signpost to us. The Ripple Pond is a peer-led support network for adult family members of physically and/or emotionally injured service personnel and veterans.
Read moreThe Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) is delighted to announce that the new Armed Forces Navigator Pilot Project has officially been launched on the 17 July 2017.
The pilot is being run in partnership with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHCFT), the Tavistock Institute and DMWS, and has been funded by the Forces in Mind Trust with the aims to better understand and support the health and social care needs of the Armed Forces community. The project will identify gaps in availability and accessibility of required services and raise awareness with local commissioners, to ensure there is appropriate consideration and planning into the future.
Read moreA blind former RAF police corporal and ex-police inspector from Woodbridge is urging fellow veterans to access the “tremendous support” of a national sight loss charity.
Having worked in the police force for more than 30 years and served in the RAF Police during his National Service, Geoffrey Moss, 79, feared losing his independence along with his sight when he was diagnosed with glaucoma. Fortunately, thanks to support from Blind Veterans UK, Geoffrey has received the training and equipment he needs to continue living life to the full.
Read moreThanks to funding from Help for Heroes, we were once again able to take two groups of injured servicemen on white water canoeing trips to the French Alps – perhaps the most exhilarating and beneficial activity in our entire programme of events.
These trips embody our motto ‘From Comradeship To Challenge’ and follow our unique formula of mixing injured serving men and women with veterans of different ages, services and campaigns.
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Read moreAfghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here