News

SSAFA Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire & Kent to support local councils with Forces Connect South East project

Financed by the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Covenant Fund, the project aims to increase understanding of the Armed Forces community within Local Authorities

In May, Surrey County Council, in partnership with Kent, East & West Sussex and Hampshire county councils was awarded £321,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund to promote understanding and awareness within public authorities and related sectors, including health, of the issues which affect the Armed Forces Community. It also aims to strengthen local government delivery of the Covenant in the South East.

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Over 2 in 5 of those who have served in the Armed Forces in the UK have trouble sleeping

A 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.

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Police Officer from West Sussex to compete in Brands Hatch Cycle Challenge for military charity

A Police Officer from West Sussex is currently training to compete in Revolve 24, the Brands Hatch Cycle Challenge, for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Kala, 39 and from Littlehampton, will be taking on the challenge with her teammates at Angmering Cycling Club. Kala says: “Some of the guys took part last year and had nothing but positive things to say about it. It seems like a great challenge both personally and collectively.”

Kala, who works in the Missing People and Child Sexual Exploitation Team, admits the decision to fundraise on behalf of Blind Veterans UK was the result of a chance encounter.

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Televisions For Ex-Service Personnel With Disabilities

The Not Forgotten Association (NFA) is proud of its long heritage of providing televisions and/or TV licences to ex-service personnel who are isolated and generally confined to their homes or have limited mobility due to physical or mental health reasons.

The NFA is now aiming to increase its provision of TVs and is also looking at the option of providing tablets to those who would prefer to use this form of media.

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Charity wi-fi project reduces isolation for RAF personnel

A third of serving RAF personnel can now benefit from free communal wi-fi provided by the RAF Association. The charity has made a £1.2million investment to keep serving airmen and women connected to their friends and loved ones and it is proving a huge success. Studies show that workplace loneliness leads to poorer performances in tasks and lesser contributions to team roles[1]. The ability to stay connected digitally helps to avoid some of those issues for people stationed away from home.

16 RAF stations and more than 11,000 personnel can now benefit from the free wi-fi. The project came about when the Association was told of the social isolation that many new recruits feel on commencing their service life. Security considerations often prevent access to military wi-fi for personal use and the cost of extra infrastructure to reach the more remote RAF bases is usually prohibitive.

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‘Colour Chaos’ participants race to save bedtime for Forces Children

On 20 August more than 200 runners took part in the first ‘Colour Chaos’ run ever to be organised on an active RAF station. The unique family challenge, which was raising vital funds for the RAF Association, was held at RAF Wittering on the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire border.

The race took place entirely within the RAF station, and participants – who could choose to run, jog, dance or walk – were plastered in powder paint as they complete each kilometre of the circuit. Course highlights included passing the wood where Harriers used to take off and land, a Harrier and military vehicles parked along the route, and a turn round the compass swing (where aircraft compasses are calibrated).

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Round Britain charity crew reach key milestone

A team of injured veterans on a round-Britain sailing expedition has reached the halfway mark in a grueling 2,000-mile sailing expedition around the British Isles.

Seventeen crew members – many with little or no sailing experience – set sail from Falmouth in Cornwall on August 5 on the Turn to Starboard Round Britain Challenge 2017.

The intrepid crew are circumnavigating the British Isles in a clockwise direction on board a tall ship, to help participants gain new skills and highlight the challenges veterans can face after leaving the military.

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Veterans’ Health & Wellbeing in Scotland – Are We Getting it Right?

Here is an excerpt from the Executive summary of a short ‘think piece’ by the Scottish Veterans Commissioner on key health issues for the veterans community. No recommendations contained but early conclusions on key issues:
The vast majority of veterans in Scotland are in relatively good health and lead happy and productive lives.
On those occasions when they need access to health or social care services, they rarely report obvious disadvantage when compared to the non-veterans population and are content with the support they receive.

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Afghanistan support

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