Stem Cell Donation: Sign up to save a life!

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer.

Stem cell transplants are used to treat blood cancers like leukaemia, aplastic anaemia as well as other diseases of the immune system. Chemotherapy can help in some cases, but for many people a stem cell transplant is the only chance of a cure.

30,000 new donors are needed in the UK each year to find matches for the steadily rising number of stem cell transplants taking place in the UK every year. Stem cells are found in the bone marrow – a soft, spongy tissue at the centre of certain bones – and can produce all essential blood cells, including red and white cells and platelets (which stop bleeding).

Give blood and save a life Sign up today

AWS Community Support Annual Report 2024

The Army Welfare service is proud to present the AWS Community Support Annual Report for 2024.  

This Report outlines some of the key achievements delivered and challenges faced by our team over the past year. 

It provides an overview of key areas of work, statistical information and also looks forward to the year ahead. 

It demonstrates the breadth and depth of the impact that the Community Support team have.​

Read the report here.

Places where kids eat free (or for £1) this October half-term

 

2024 UK Half Term Kids Eat for Free List

Stem Cell Donation: Sign up to save a life!

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer.

Stem cell transplants are used to treat blood cancers like leukaemia, aplastic anaemia as well as other diseases of the immune system. Chemotherapy can help in some cases, but for many people a stem cell transplant is the only chance of a cure.

30,000 new donors are needed in the UK each year to find matches for the steadily rising number of stem cell transplants taking place in the UK every year. Stem cells are found in the bone marrow – a soft, spongy tissue at the centre of certain bones – and can produce all essential blood cells, including red and white cells and platelets (which stop bleeding).

Give blood and save a life Sign up today

Travel to Refuge Scheme: Free travel for those fleeing domestic abuse

Travel to Refuge is an umbrella scheme in which travel companies cover the cost of train or coach tickets for women, men and children escaping domestic abuse travelling to refuge accommodation. It’s made up of two schemes:

Rail to Refuge, a joint initiative between Women’s Aid and the Rail Delivery Group, set up in April 2020, providing free rail travel for survivors of abuse.

Road to Refuge, a joint initiative between Women’s Aid and National Express, set up in 2023, providing free coach travel for survivors of abuse.

For more information please visit: Travel to Refuge

Army Health Promotion: New Leaflet - An Individual's Guide to Mental Fitness

 

Mental health fitness help guide for Army personnel. Use this link to read the leaflet in full. If you would like immediate support please contact the the Welfare team or the Padre at Brydon House. 

Headspace App: Free Enrolment for Army Personnel and MOD Civilian Staff

Please use your mod.gov.uk email address to sign up before downloading the App. Link to enrol: Headspace for Work.

World Mental Health Day - 10th October: Defence Relaunch of HeadFIT for 2024

HeadFIT is an externally accessible website, developed by Defence to assist our people in developing a proactive approach to mental fitness. 

It provides techniques and methods to manage your mental resilience, enhance your mood, and improve your confidence. For further information please go to: HeadFIT - Success, it's all in your head.

Tri-Service Military Youth Voice Survey for 8-17 Year Old's - Closes Sat 31 Aug

The Tri-Service Youth Voice Steering Group would like to give children and young people the opportunity to tell us about their experiences of living in a Forces family, and ask them how they think that experience might be improved.  

 t’s really important that we reach as many children and young people as possible and so would like to ask for your help with this. 

Please share the survey with as many people as you can and ask them to support the service children and young people they know and/or work with.. 

The survey is open to anyone aged 8-17 who lives, or has lived in a family that includes a serving person. The QR code and attached flyer can be shared electronically, and printed off.

The results of the Survey will help the Youth Voice Steering Group focus their priorities, inform professionals, policy makers and help improve the experience of children and young people living in service families.

The survey expires Sat 31 Aug. Link to survey

Aurora New Dawn & Mankind: Domestic Abuse Recovery Programmes

As part of MOD's partnership with Aurora New Dawn, they are running a sexual violence recovery programme and an Athena domestic abuse programme for female Army and RN personnel and family members.  

Find out more at Aurora Abuse in the Armed Forces | Support Service | Aurora New Dawn (aurorand.org.uk)​  Course details, including how to register, are in the documents at these links:

• Sexual Violence Recovery Programme
• Athena Domestic Abuse Course​

​ManKind have received funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to run their ACORN Recovery Course for male personnel, family members and veterans. Details, including how to register, are on the poster.  More information on Mankind is at: mankind.org.uk

Togetherall: What Support is Available to the Service Community?

You might be asking “What is @Togetherall?" - let us shed light on it. Imagine an anonymous, caring community that's accessible 24/7, no matter where you are, with an array of tools & materials to elevate your well-being 📈✨. Ready to embark on this journey? 

Togetherall is FREE for all UK military serving and veteran personnel and their families. Join today and discover more.

New Awards Provide Educational Support for Service children

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has announced 21 new awards in the latest round of the Service Pupil Support Programme!  

Worth £1.3 million, these projects are set to make a real difference to school-aged Service children across the UK - Improving their educational pathways and helping to address the challenges they can face. 

Supporting Service pupils across the UK 

Part of the MOD’s Armed Forces Families Fund, the Service Pupil Support Programme supports projects which focus on pupils from currently serving families and support them along their educational pathways. 

The projects supported in this funding round address gaps in educational attainment, support Service pupils with additional needs, and support small cohorts of Service pupils within educational settings. 

This year, the Trust has focused on supporting schools working in collaborative clusters of three or more to address the programme’s aims. 

Many funded projects centre on collaboration between schools to facilitate shared resources and good practice.  

ANDYSMANCLUB a men’s suicide prevention charity,

 

ANDYSMANCLUB a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. 

We want to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation. #ITSOKAYTOTALK

Togetherall: Summer Support

 🌞  Feeling lonely or overwhelmed this summer? You're not alone. @Togetherall is here to help you stay connected and supported in a safe, anonymous, and compassionate community. 

Discover new ways to connect and find comfort in knowing that others are going through the same challenges. 

Prioritise your mental well-being this summer.​

📲 Sign up today 

Little Troopers Treetop Adventure Day: Tuesday 27th August

The charity Little Troopers has teamed up with GoApe to host a free treetop adventure for 90 military children across several locations on Tuesday 27th August.

The special day is part of the charity’s All Together programme, which brings military children together from all three services, to spend time with each other and feel recognised and celebrated for being ‘little troopers’.

The GoApe treetop adventure is open to children aged 7-12 years at the following locations:

* Itchen Valley, Southampton

* Aice Holt, Hampshire

* Hylands Country Park, Chelmsford, Essex

* Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire

* Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

* Temple Newsam, Yorkshire

Apart Not Alone: Support For Serving Families

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has launched the second in a series of new Covenant Fund programmes under its exciting three-year Funding Framework. 

Apart Not Alone: Support for Serving Families programme is now open for applications for grants between £5,000 and £15,000 for projects that will help to mitigate the impact of long or frequent involuntary separation for families, spouses, and serving personnel, including Reservists and their families.

The Trust ran a public consultation in 2023, which identified that one of the key areas to focus on was ‘Reducing stress and challenges for Armed Forces families. This family focused programme will address the unique needs of serving Armed Forces families facing long and/or frequent involuntary separation which can have significant impact on different aspect of family life. The consultation findings are available to read on The Trust website.  

What is the Apart, Not Alone programme all about? 

 Apart Not Alone: Support For Serving Families will support projects which achieve one or more of the following outcomes:   

* Improved mental health and wellbeing for serving families. 

* Enhanced access to support and activities that improve quality of life for serving families. 

* Improved understanding of effective models of support for serving families.  

* Supporting the reintegration of Service personnel back into their family homes and units after separation through developing and piloting new approaches. 

Who can apply?   

The Trust is inviting applications from UK-based registered charities, Community interest Companies (CIC) with substantial recent experience of supporting Armed Forces communities, and Armed Forces units or bases.

 What type of projects are The Trust looking to support?   

 Projects that can significantly benefit Armed Forces families impacted by frequent or long periods of involuntary separation. You will need to show that your project will address current and immediate needs identified within the community and how you have identified any gaps in support or provision.

The programme is now open for applications and the closing date is 12 noon on 25 September 2024.

Anna Wright, Chief Executive at the Trust said: “We’ve designed the Apart, Not Alone programme, with community feedback, to help with issues such as emotional wellbeing, mental health, social connections and other issues which can arise from long or frequent separations due to Service. This is the second in an exciting series of new programmes we

are launching, which all aim to have an important impact on the quality of life for members of our Armed Forces community.” 

Find out more 

Full details of this exciting new programme, including eligibility and how to apply, can be found on the Trust’s website: www.covenantfund.org.uk 

Keep up to date with funding opportunities 

For the latest updates and announcements on each of the Covenant Fund programmes, and any other funding opportunities the Trust has available throughout the year, sign up to their e-newsletter via their website www.covenantfund.org.uk 

GamCare

 

Support for LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence

Galop support LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence. Their website has a domestic abuse survivors' forum and a page devoted to domestic abuse in the context of the LGBT+ community, as well as several factsheets: Domestic abuse - Galop the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity - Galop.

Contact details:

​Website

National Helpline for LGBT+ Victims and Survivors of Abuse and Violence: 0800 999 5428

Email help@galop.org.uk

Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) resources signposting guide, 2024 ed

From the DMRC and ADVANCE (Armed Services ​​Trauma Rehabilitation Outcome) Study. 

This is a list of charities and services which you, your family and friends may find useful. It is divided into sections for your ease of reference.

The Contents Page will help you to find the sections relevant to your query/search and provides the relevant page number(s). 

The first section in the booklet lists key charities/organisations that can direct you to the relevant charity/service if you are unsure which charity/service may be the best for your needs/query. 

The subsequent sections are listed in alphabetical order. The index at the end of this booklet lists charities and services in alphabetical order together with their page number(s).​

Army Welfare Service: Relationship Conflict Stress Awareness

 Contact your nearest HIVE for further info.