Richmond residents and beyond are invited to an afternoon at Trumpeters’ House on Saturday 2nd June, 2pm to 5pm, in support of The Poppy Factory – the country’s leading employment charity for veterans with disabilities.
The charity, based in Richmond, supports veterans with mental and physical health conditions get back into work.
Read moreAs part of an ongoing commitment to support the Armed Forces community, Aramark Defence Services has announced a new five year partnership with SSAFA. Aramark Defence Services (ADS), who operate under the Side by Side brand will bring together an enthusiastic workforce of more than 4,000 with the oldest, tri-Force charity to bring about positive change in the military community.
Starting with a wave of Big Brew Up events held across the company during Armed Forces Week, ADS is set to commit to an annual calendar of activities, driven by its team members and the company’s management.
Read moreTwo Conwy blind veterans are currently training for a 22-mile walk along on the Normandy coastline to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.
Carl Adamson, 44, and Steve Thomas, 46, will take part in the event alongside four other blind veterans supported by Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women. The challenge will take place on 6 June, the anniversary of the 1944 Allied invasion of occupied France.
Carl, originally from Widnes but now living in Llandudno, says: “We’ve been training on the North Wales costal path, which I think should put us in good stead for the Normandy beaches.
Read moreFormer servicemen and women who are struggling to cope with life outside of the military are being urged to sign up to a Peer Support Service, delivered by veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress.
Led by veterans for veterans, it’s the first UK-wide service of its kind for those with mental health problems. The Peer Support Service, funded by The Royal British Legion, helps those veterans whose mental health has been affected by their time in the Armed Forces, and who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation after leaving the military.
Read moreThe UK team for the 2018 Invictus Games was unveiled this morning in central London.
The first official gathering of the 72-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) serving military personnel and Veterans took place early this morning at Horse Guards Parade in London.
Help for Heroes is responsible for training, selecting and developing the UK team and this year saw record numbers of hopefuls apply to be on the UK team. The team is comprised of 13 Serving members of the Armed Forces and 59 Veterans. 64% of those selected are new to the Invictus Games.
Read moreForces 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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The Sixth Annual Award Consideration Starts Today Until June 1 in U.S. and U.K.
London, UK (May 14, 2018) – The Call of Duty Endowment today begins its application process for the sixth annual “Seal of Distinction” Awards, recognising U.S. and U.K. based non-profits that demonstrate the highest levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity in placing ex-service personnel into high-quality jobs.
The prestigious award for grantees is accompanied by a £23,000 unrestricted grant, as well as the opportunity to apply for future funding. Past beneficiaries include: Goodwill Southern California, Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainer Region, NextOp, RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity, and Walking With the Wounded.
Read moreA 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).
Read moreA blind veteran from Northampton is currently training to take part in a 22 mile walk along on the Normandy coastline to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.
Peter O’Malley, 61 and from Duston, will take part in the event alongside five other blind veterans supported by Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women. The challenge will take place on 6 June, the anniversary of the 1944 Allied invasion of occupied France.
Peter says: “I know that it will be hard work, particularly as I am vision-impaired and the course takes in rough terrain, but I don’t think sight loss should stop you taking on a challenge.”
Read moreThe 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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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
