Veterans Railcards go live!
Anyone who has served in the Armed Forces can now buy a Veterans Railcard which will give them discounted rail travel throughout the UK. Costing £30, further details are at the link.
Improving health and wellbeing support for armed forces in England– engagement toolkit
The NHS in England would like to hear from Service families about their views on how it can improve health and wellbeing support. An engagement exercise is being run until 30 November which will involve online meetings and events, supported by a questionnaire. More details are at the link.
Welsh Government Annual Covenant Report
The 2019 Annual Report on the Armed Forces Covenant in Wales has been published. It covers the wide range of activity that has been taking place in support of the Armed Forces Community of Service Personnel, Veterans and families.
Service Charities get nearly £6m from COVID fund
A wide range of service charities have received grants totaling just under £5.8M from the government to help them continue with their important activities during the COVID pandemic, which has seen charities’ incomes reduced. The grants, announced in June 2020, were administered by the Covenant Trust Fund. A complete list of the charities concerned together with […]
Families: Research into the impact on service families of ‘weekending’
The Naval Families Federation (NFF) has recently published research examining the lifestyle of Royal Navy and Royal Marines families. This research, carried out by the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, offers an invaluable window into the implications of geographically dispersed families and ‘weekending’, where the serving person lives away from home during the week. […]
Improved Access to Social Housing!
In a welcome move, the government has published statutory guidance for local authorities which should improve access to social housing for members of the Armed Forces community, including estranged spouses and veterans. The requirement to have lived in an area for 2 years before being eligible for social housing should be dropped for veterans with […]
Govt funding to support Armed Forces charities’ vital work during Coronavirus pandemic
The Government is to provide £6m of additional funding to military charities to help them continue with the vital work they are carrying out for the Armed Forces Community during the Coronavirus pandemic. Full details are here.
HeadFIT: A tool to maintain your mental fitness
HeadFIT is a mental health support website designed specifically for people working in Defence, military and civilian. Developed in partnership with The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together, the site is being launched early to help staff deal with the unprecedented circumstances we are currently facing. The site features a range of tools to help manage your […]
Family Support during COVID 19: BFBS Interview
Helen Helliwell, Director of Armed Forces Personnel Policy, was recently interviewed by BFBS to talk about the challenges facing Service Personnel and families during Coronavirus and the help that is available. Watch the full interview on Forces.Net.
UK employers and service charities come together to drive forward veteran recruitment
Fast cars and the iconic Silverstone ‘Wing’ was the backdrop to a day of networking and career guidance for the UK’s Armed Forces Community. The inaugural Mission Motorsport National Transition Event on 11 February offered the chance for veterans to engage with forces-friendly employers, top brands from across the UK who all recognise the valuable […]