Armed Forces Day is a time to recognise the many charities that provide vital support for servicemen and women, past and present, and their families. This year, we would like to Say Thank You to our many partner charities for supporting the Armed Forces family during times of need.
This month, we are delighted to award grants totalling over £136,000 to nine charities that provide varied and essential services to the whole Armed Forces community. From guiding injured servicemen and women along the road to recovery, to supporting bereaved military families coping with the loss of a loved one, these charities provide year-round, frontline support to the Armed Forces family in need. As the Army’s national charity, we’d like to recognise the staff and volunteers who make possible this important work.
Supporting military families
We were pleased to award grants to two outstanding charities that provide services for Armed Forces families and children, the Army Widows’ Association (AWA) and the NSPCC.
The Army Widows’ Association provides support and advice for widows and widowers, recognised partners and their dependants. Our £25,000 will go towards the charity’s operating costs and its two annual events, the Annual General Meeting and National Memorial Arboretum Respite Weekend. The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity for AWA’s 300 members to seek guidance on matters such as skills development, benefits and pensions, while the respite weekend at the National Memorial Arboretum provides time for the bereaved to reflect and remember lost loved ones.
We have also awarded a £20,000 funding boost to the NSPCC’s Tidworth Service Centre to help build emotional resilience amongst military children in Wiltshire. Our grant supports a number of programmes for parents and children, including a dedicated lunch club that addresses the specific pressures felt by Armed Forces children, such as those relating to deployment or social isolation.
Providing rehabilitation for injured service personnel
We were also delighted to assist two charities that provide rehabilitation activities for injured service personnel, HighGround and Future Terrain.
Our £20,000 grant to HighGround will support its Horticultural Therapy Service at DNRC Stanford Hall. This service is widely used by injured servicemen and women, including those with complex trauma and neurological injuries, and has been shown to improve balance, fine motor skills and confidence. Throughout the pandemic, HighGround has adapted its service provision to ensure that it can continue to support injured members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces on their journey back to health.
A £10,000 grant was awarded to Future Terrain, which uses vehicular sport and expeditions to provide rehabilitation and retraining opportunities for veterans with physical and mental injuries. Our grant will support the charity’s ‘Fennec Endeavour’ expedition, which will see 23 wounded, injured and sick veterans embark on a week-long voyage across the Sahara Desert. The camaraderie helps veterans to grow in confidence, while developing the skillsand qualifications to succeed in civilian employment.
The full list of charities and organisations we supported in June is:
- Army Widows’ Association
- HighGround
- War Widows’ Association
- Royal Cambridge Home
- Scotty’s Little Soldiers
- NSPCC
- Help4Homeless Veterans
- Improving Lives Plymouth
- Future Terrain