News

Legion urges Service Leavers and Veterans to ‘get help early’

Call to arms to help Armed Forces community access housing support as soon as possible

THE ROYAL British Legion is today calling on Service leavers and veterans to ‘get help early’ as they adjust to civilian life.

Not everyone struggles with the transition and, for many, difficulties with housing might not occur for many years after Service. Issues often arise due to unforeseen circumstances such as relationship breakdowns or financial complications however, the transient nature of Service life, confusion over how to access support services, and often a reticence to ask for help, can cause a unique set of challenges for the Armed Forces community.

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The mental health and offending behaviour of ex-military personnel in the Criminal Justice System differs from offenders who have not served in the military

Ex-Service personnel in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) have distinct patterns of offending and mental health problems compared to offenders from a non-Service background, according to a Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) funded report.

Researchers at King’s College London looked at ex-Service personnel identified through the CJS as having social or mental health needs. They found ex-Service personnel were more likely to have Anxiety disorders (37% of veterans versus 13% non-veterans), which included PTSD, and Adjustment Disorder (8%vs6%*), as well as higher levels of co-occurring mental health problems than people with a non-Service background.

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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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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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WWTW are celebrating 70 years of the NHS

The National Health Service is turning 70 on 5 July 2018 and it’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate our working together…

From working in partnership with NHS Liaison & Diversion Teams, to embedding our Employment Advisors within the NHS TILS (Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service) – Walking With The Wounded relies on its collaboration with the NHS in order to provide wrap-around care for those who struggle after leaving the military.

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Tyne and Wear veteran to take on the Fan Dance Race for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity

A local Navy veteran is taking on the ultimate SAS selection challenge to raise money for the charities that have supported him after being diagnosed with PTSD.

John Mew, 60, from Dinnington in Newcastle is taking part in the gruelling 24km Fan Dance Race, which sees participants run over the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons, Pen Y Fen, not just once – but twice.

John served in the Royal Navy for 12 years as a physical training instructor, ships diver and as a member of the Portsmouth Command Field Gun Crew.

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New Grant Award: A systematic review and evidence map of research on the mental health needs of serving and ex-serving personnel

Forces in Mind Trust has awarded the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) £95,877 to conduct a systematic review of evidence of the mental health needs of serving and ex-Service personnel and their families since 2012.

The 9-month project will cover all three services, in the context of their transition to civilian life, and will include the perspectives of key stakeholders. Areas where the evidence is strong and where there are gaps in evidence will be recorded, and where evidence allows, recommendations will be made for the attention of policy makers and service providers, along with future areas on which to focus research.

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Deptherapy Team mark IYOR 2018 with launch of new environmental project

A team of UK Armed Forces veterans is launching a project to ‘give back’ to the marine environment that they credit with turning their lives around.

The 30 wounded in service veterans, all suffering from life changing physical and / or mental injuries, are Programme Members of scuba diving rehabilitation charity Deptherapy.

The aim of the ‘Protecting Our Oceans’ project is to raise awareness of the fragility of the world’s oceans and for each Deptherapy Programme Member to make their own practical contribution to environmental protection to help safeguard the future.

The project comes at a time when the world’s attention is increasingly focused on environmental sustainability, the scourge of plastic pollution and the health of the planet. 2018 has been designated the Third International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2018).

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Forces Network Focuses on Mental Health Awareness Week 14-20th May

The Forces Network is broadcasting a week-long series of reports and interviews looking at mental health issues in forces communities.

Forces TV will show clips online taken from a recent interview with Prince Harry. He describes how his experiences in Afghanistan were the trigger to deal with his own mental health problems:

“Not to get too personal but if you lose your mum at the age of 12 then you’ve got to deal with it.

“…15, 17 years later, I still hadn’t dealt with it. Afghan was the moment …”

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Gallantry Art partners with veterans’ mental health charity

Gallantry Art has announced it will be supporting veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress through the sale of artwork on its online gallery.

The gallery, that exclusively sells artwork created by both serving personnel and former servicemen and women, will donate 10% of profits to Combat Stress. This donation will support the work the charity does to help former servicemen and women deal with trauma-related mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Afghanistan support

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