Supporting Charities
The Forces family would not be so well represented and cared for if it was not for the support and care provided by a wide range of Service charities. Both old and new, these amazing organisations form an unbreakable bond with soldiers, sailors and airmen whether serving or retired. The wide range of Service charities provide welfare services, campaign on a range of issues affecting Service people and raise funds through a variety of events throughout the year.
The Soldiers' Charity are for soldiers, for life; giving support to serving and retired soldiers and their families. They risk so much for us, but for them, it's "just doing their job". In return, The Soldiers’ Charity give them down-to-earth help and friendship, with no hassle or bureaucracy. We help in ways that make a big practical difference to individuals. For example a level access shower for an amputee from a current conflict or care home fees for an elderly veteran. That's what we've been here to offer for the past 66 years and will be here for as long as there is a need.
The charity ‘Afghan Heroes’ was launched by a group of mothers with the aim of helping service personnel directly on the front line. It deals specifically with members of the British forces and their families that have been affected by the military operations in Afghanistan now and into the future.
The ACF is a national, voluntary, uniformed youth organisation with almost 47,000 cadets (aged 12-18) and over 8,500 adult volunteers (aged 18-65) across 1700 locations all over the UK. The ACF’s mission is to help its cadet members develop both personally and physically by providing a wide range of exciting, challenging and adventurous opportunities, some of them military themed.
The AWA was formed in 2004 by a group of recently bereaved Army widows with the aim of offering support and friendship to both operational and non-operational widows/widowers/recognised partners who have sadly lost their spouse who was serving in the Regular Army or the TA/Reserve Forces on active duty at the time of their death since 1981.
BEWSA was registered in 1997 as a National Armed Forces Charity (No. 1071226). The object of the charity is to promote welfare and rehabilitation of disabled ex-service men and women through participation in sport, sports medicine and any other means deemed legal under charity law. We meet monthly at DCAE Cosford for training and social get togethers.
The British Forces Foundation boosts the morale of servicemen and women on the frontline and in operational theatres all over the world, primarily through high quality entertainment. The Charity is also very lateral and contemporary in its numerous other award-winning projects designed to bring the public and their Armed Forces closer together.
BLESMA is a national charity for Limbless and Ex-Service Men and Women, their dependants and widows or widowers. Its objectives are to promote the welfare of all those who have lost a limb or the use of a limb, or one or both eyes, or as a result of service in Her Majesty's Forces or Auxiliary Forces.
The Society was founded in 1919, one year after the end of the First World War, since when it has helped over 85,000 veterans cope with their suffering. Currently, there are over 7,000 veterans being helped, with many new referrals.
COBSEO is established to represent, promote and further the interests of Service and ex-Service men and women of all ranks, and of their spouses and dependants, by all practical, legal and proper means.
Founded in 1916, Erskine has provided nursing and medical care for former members of our Armed forces through two world wars and the more recent conflicts and peace keeping initiatives. Re-building shattered lives, restoring dignity and providing first-class care to veterans have been the cornerstones on which Erskine has built an unrivalled reputation from its five care homes across Scotland.
Forces Pension Society is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that fights for better pensions for all three Services; campaigns against injustices in the Armed Forces pension schemes and provides Members with invaluable, authoritative advice through our Pension Helpline.
In addition, Members enjoy many discounts on a wide range of products and services, from healthcare to holidays, currency exchange to car parking.
Gardening Leave is a charity which provides Horticultural Therapy for serving and ex-Service personnel and veterans.
The pilot project was started in Ayrshire in 2007 and 2 more Gardening Leave gardens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and Erskine Hospital near Glasgow, are opening this year.
At Gardening Leave, veterans can be together, be outside in a safe, peaceful environment, and can join in with the growing of fruit and vegetables and looking after the Poppy Collection as much or as little as they want to.
Help for Heroes was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of 2007. They met some amazingly brave young people who had been badly wounded and just wanted to do something to help.
The charity was launched in October 2007 and with the backing and support of celebrities, the Royal Family, the media and countless ordinary decent people, it has raised over £1m a month since then.
H4H Trading was set up to sell products and the profits from these sales mean that we can cover all of our operating costs and donate the extra to the charity, so rest assured, currently if you give us £10 will go towards helping the wounded.
The Lord Leycester Hospital is a charity established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to provide homes for retired ex-Servicemen and their wives in mediaeval half-timbered buildings adjacent to the ancient West gate of Warwick. The Hospital receives no Government or local authority funding and is reliant upon visitor income and charitable donations to keep its head above water financially.
Mutual Support offers support to military families affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Membership is offered to serving, retired or dependant members of all three services and their reserves. Our Support Team are all affected by MS themselves and their combined experience and advice can offer much comfort, support and practical help.
The Northern Ireland Veterans Association is an association set up to provide a focal for veterans of Operation Banner and their next of kin including the next of Kin of those who lost their lives. NIVA has a Welfare/Sign posting team and arranges an annual memorial service each September at the NMA in Staffordshire.
The Officers’ Association assists more than 2,000 eligible people every year by providing employment services for Service Leavers and ex-serving Officers at all stages of their working lives, and through financial and welfare support.
We offer a dedicated resource based on a thorough understanding of the needs of Commissioned Officers and their families.
OA Scotland offers employment support and financial assistance to ex-officers and their dependants. An employment finding service, which can be accessed by employers and those seeking employment, complements customised advice on interview techniques, networking and CV construction. OA Scotland also relieves financial distress, helping with issues including home repairs, household items, respite breaks, mobility aids and other personal needs.
Since 1922 The Poppy Factory in Richmond, Surrey has been employing disabled ex-Service men and women in the production of poppies and wreaths. Our vision is that all disabled ex-Service men and women should have the opportunity of undertaking satisfying paid employment, consistent with their abilities. Our mission is to provide paid employment opportunities and to support paid working schemes for disabled ex-Servicemen and women.
Poppyscotland provides vital support to veterans and their families living in Scotland, who may struggle to adjust to civilian life, with a number of difficulties including financial, physical and psychological issues. A year-round programme of fundraising enables Poppyscotland to deliver financial assistance to individuals in need and to help fund the work of specialist veterans’ organisations.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home is a registered charity providing nursing and rehabilitation care for physically disabled ex-Servicemen and women in a comfortable, professional setting that residents can think of as their home. We provide a multidisciplinary approach for the care and rehabilitation of those with neurological and medical disabilities – predominantly for those who have served with HM Forces.
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity. We provide practical, financial and - in some cases - emotional support to all members of the RAF family, from childhood through to old age. We help with issues from childcare and relationship difficulties to injury and disability, and from financial hardship and debt to illness and bereavement.
The Royal British Legion provides financial, social and emotional support to millions who have served and are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants. Currently, nearly 10.5 million people are eligible for our support and we receive thousands of calls for help every year.
An independent charity, RBLI was established in 1919 to provide housing, employment and support which it continues to provide in a village setting in Aylesford, near Maidstone in Kent. We offer family housing, both permanent and transitional, sheltered accommodation, high dependency nursing care within our Nursing Home, repatriation services and support to find employment for ex service men and women.
The RAF Association (RAFA) is a membership organisation of serving and former members of the Royal Air Force, their families and dependants and those supporting the aims of the Association. It is the largest single-service membership organisation in the United Kingdom. The Association provides help, care and support for the whole RAF family.
The objective of the Association is to foster and maintain the friendship that was present when serving on Bomb Disposal. The catchment area for the Association is worldwide.
The Royal Marines Association (RMA) maintains and promotes esprit de corps and comradeship amongst all Royal Marines and their families, past and present. The RMA is established in Branches all over the country and overseas to keep members in touch with one another. The RMA is an integral part of the "Corps Family".
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity provides a single focus for the charities that support serving and former members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, from the day they join until the day the die. Please visit our website to see how you can help us to help your Naval service.
Seafarers UK are a national charity that fundraises and gives grants to over 70 charities that help people who have worked at sea. This includes helping people from the Navy,Merchant Navy and fishing fleets and their families.
Skill Force works to increase the number of young people entering employment, further education or training. Established in 2000, Skill Force delivers youth programmes that draw together vocational qualifications, community volunteering and life skills. Skill Force employs many ex-Service personnel as Instructors who use their world-class training, skills, and life experience for the benefit of young people and the local community.
"Support our Soldiers" is a Tri-Service Charity which allows the public to show their support for both members of the British Armed Forces serving overseas and their families back home. The founders of the Charity are both mothers of soldiers, keen to do something positive as a result of their personal experiences. SOS have a bespoke arrangement with the British Forces Post Office to facilitate the sending of high quality parcels out to named Service personnel which is coordinated to ensure minimum disruption to the operational postal system.
Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation is a small military charity providing appropriate housing with support in London to vulnerable and disabled ex-Service personnel, including those who have been homeless, to enable them to live as independently as possible.
Rehabilitation, social activities, affordable housing and back to work initiatives through our Health & Well-Being programme all aim to improve the physical and mental health of our residents.
The South Atlantic Medal Association 1982 (SAMA 82) began its existence on 2nd April 997 on the 15th anniversary of the Falkland Islands conflict. The purpose of the Association is to promote and maintain a sense of pride and comradeship among all veterans of the campaign, and to keep them in touch with each other in a manner which respects both individual privacy and personal requirements.
The Ministry Defence and the Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Family Association (SSAFA) have together set up a new Operational Welfare Fund dedicated to providing support to the front line.
If you decide to contribute to SSAFA’s Operational Welfare Fund, you will be helping to improve the quality of life for our brave Service men and women currently in theatre in Afghanistan. On their behalf, thank you so much for your gift.
St Dunstan’s is the national charity providing lifelong support and rehabilitation to blind ex-Service men and women. Our specialist training and rehabilitation promotes and enables St Dunstaners to regain their independence, meet new challenges and achieve a better quality of life.
The Royal Star & Garter Homes has been caring for disabled ex-Service personnel since 1916. The Charity offers residents at its Richmond, Surrey, and Solihull, West Midlands homes the best in nursing and therapeutic care, as well as a wide variety of leisure activities both internally and at outside venues. Widows, spouses and partners of ex-Service people are also welcome.
Tickets for Troops is an independent charity dedicated to offering free tickets for major cultural, sporting and musical events to our soldiers, sailors and airmen. All serving military personnel as well as any veterans who have been medically discharged through injury since 2001 qualify for tickets.
TROOP AID was founded in November 2006 by three ex servicemen as a result of a visit to Selly Oak Hospital's Alexandra Wing in Birmingham. This is the home of the Defence Medical Welfare Services who are responsible for the welfare of all Armed Forces Personnel, male and female who have been injured during the conflict in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The charity uk4u-Thanks! provides Christmas boxes to all deployed personnel away from their families and friends on Christmas Day. Wounded personnel staying in hospital over Christmas also receive a Christmas Box.
The Charity has supplied over 24,000 boxes in 2009 and will do so for the foreseeable future.
The Union Jack Club is your private members club for serving and ex-serving military personnel of Her Majesty's Armed Forces! If you and your family are looking for excellent value in central London then why not make full use of its excellent facilities. With over 260 bedrooms ranging from singles, twins, doubles and even flats, we offer outstanding value for money as do our bars and restaurant.
Serving members of HM Armed Forces and Ex- Serving Members of HM Forces can now make reservations online at any time of the day.
The War Widows Association exists to improve the conditions of War Widows and their dependants in Great Britain. Its work encompasses those who have suffered bereavement as a result of World War II and all conflicts since then including Iraq and Afghanistan. The WWA also represents those who have suffered the loss of their partner in peacetime, when the death was attributable to their service life.
The White Ensign Association provides a confidential, free and impartial advice and guidance service on personal finance (including investment, pensions, insurance, tax, mortgages and debt), personal administration and civilian employment. Job opportunities are promulgated on the Association’s web-site. The Association’s services are available to all serving and former members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, their Reserves and dependants.