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21 Feb - FAB camps return to help bereaved military families
21 Feb - Blind Veterans UK - An Introduction
15 Feb - Service Children Support Network Photographic Competition
08 Feb - My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures 'Climb YOUR Mountain Challenge'
31 Jan - 'The Soldier's Wife' by Joanna Trollope
30 Jan - Armed Forces charity welcomes new Fisher Home
11 Jan - MOD pledges millions to Service children
11 Jan - National Insurance Contribution Conditions
06 Jan - Military Covenant Interim Report 2011
21 Nov - Improving play park facilities for Army families
Telephones For Troops
Welcome home for heroes - keep it hush!

FAB camps return to help bereaved military families

Building on the success of previous years, Families' Activity Breaks (FAB) are returning in the summer of 2012 to offer bereaved military families fun and challenging activity-based holidays.

The holidays are designed for families with children up to 19 years of age who have suffered the loss of a loved one serving in the Armed Forces.

Read the full article on the MOD website.

Blind Veterans UK - An Introduction

About Blind Veterans UK:

Blind Veterans UK is the only UK charity for blind veterans and believes that no one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone.
Blind Veterans UK is committed to providing caring, collaborative lifelong assistance to blind veterans and their families.
Currently, the organisation provides professional, specialist support to over 5,000 members (3,000 blind or severely visually impaired veterans and their families) and helped 650 new blind veterans in 2011.
Anybody who is blind or severely visually impaired and has served in the Armed Forces is eligible for Blind Veterans UK’s assistance. This includes anybody who has undertaken UK National Service at any point during their life, or those who may have left the Armed Forces some time ago.

Blind Veterans UK – service offering:

Blind Veterans UK provides the finest quality support to blind veterans, both in the community and at specialist centres located in Brighton, Llandudno and Sheffield.
Working collaboratively with members and their families, committed teams of professional ROVIs (Rehabilitation Officers for the Visually Impaired) and Welfare Officers build a personalised programme for each veteran, which includes welfare support, rehabilitation, training and respite.
After the onset of visual impairment, Blind Veterans UK beneficiaries are on a courageous journey to rehabilitation. The organisation exists, not just to restore their independence in everyday tasks, but so that they can truly discover a life beyond blindness, through sport, art and friendship.
Blind Veterans UK always strives to be resourceful, pioneering and modern in its approach to providing the finest quality services to blind veterans.

About the new Blind Veterans UK name and brand:

Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915, and was called St Dunstan’s until February 2012.
The organisation has changed its name because it needs more people to know about the life-changing services it provides.
The new name has been chosen because it describes exactly what the organisation does and who it helps, ensuring its work is better recognised and understood, and, in turn, helping beneficiary and supporter recruitment.
Blind Veterans UK believes that there are over 50,000 people who could benefit from their support still out there – many of whom don’t realise they are eligible or have not heard of the organisation.

Official launch of Blind Veterans UK:

The new brand will officially launch in February 2012 alongside Blind Veterans UK’s ‘No one alone’ campaign which aims to raise awareness around the challenges of blindness and the impact Blind Veterans UK has on the lives of its members.
Launch events will take place at the Blind Veterans UK centres in Brighton, Llandudno and Sheffield.

Help Blind Veterans UK achieve its vision:

You can help Blind Veterans UK achieve its vision that no one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone.
If you know a veteran who is blind or severely visually impaired and has undertaken UK National Service, encourage them to get in touch to find out about the professional support services Blind Veterans UK can offer.
To find out more or make a donation visit www.blindveterans.org.uk.

For further information about Blind Veterans UK please contact:
Abhilasha Punj: Tel: 0207 010 0842, email: abhilasha.punj@kindredagency.com
Andy Shaw: Tel: 0207 010 0806, email: andy.shaw@kindredagency.com

Service Children Support Network Photographic Competition

The Service Children Support Network (SCSN) in collaboration with the Royal Air Force Museum are pleased to announce the launch of the SCSN Photography Competition 2012.

Service Children are invited to submit a photograph that reflects life…
‘Through the Eyes of a Service Child’

The competition is open to all Service children (regular, reservist, bereaved and children whose parent/s has recently left the services).

Click here for full details. For Terms and Conditions, click here.

My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures 'Climb YOUR Mountain Challenge'

My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures has launched their 'Climb YOUR Mountain Challenge' to help raise funds and awareness for My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures. This will allow them to continue to provide events and workshops for The Little Troopers at Home. They are asking people across the nation and beyond to run events between 1st-15th April 2012 in support of the 'Climb YOUR Mountain Challenge'

See the following packs for ideas, templates, forms and instructions:

Fundraising Pack
Gym Mountain Challenges
Snowdon Llanberis Path Trekkers Pack

'The Soldier's Wife' by Joanna Trollope

Kimberly MacGillivray, one of our London Co-ordinators spoke on BBC Radio4 ‘Woman’s Hour’ with Joanna Trollope about her new book ‘ The Soldier’s Wife’.

‘Dan Riley is a major in the British Army. After a six month tour of duty in Afghanistan, he is coming home to the wife and young daughters he adores. The outside world sees those reunions as a taste of heaven after months of hell. But are they? Can a man trained to fight adjust again to family and domestic life? And how will the family cope, if he can't? How much, indeed, can Alexa, Dan's wife, sacrifice her own needs and fulfilment to serve his commitment to a way of life that demands everything not just of him, but of her and the children as well?'

Critically acclaimed contemporary writer Joanna Trollope takes a keen look at the home lives of the modern Army in this captivating new book. What happens, these days, when love and a vocation collide, head on?

AFF has six hardback copies of ‘The Soldier’s Wife’ to give away. For a chance to win one of the copies please email giveaways@afj.org.uk. Please put ‘The Soldier’s Wife’ in the subject line. Include your name, address and telephone number. One entry per household. Your entry will not be used for marketing purposes. Closing date for entries is 28 February 2012.

Armed Forces charity welcomes new Fisher Home

SSAFA Forces Help, the military charity that currently provides a home in Birmingham for the families of wounded servicemen and women has welcomed the announcement that a Fisher House will be built at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Since opening its two ‘SSAFA Norton Homes’ in 2008, SSAFA Forces Help has provided free accommodation to 2,082 members of Forces families, enabling them to be close to their loved ones when they need them most.

One of the two SSAFA homes is located in Selly Oak, Birmingham, close to the hospital where wounded servicemen and women are treated after they have been injured in Afghanistan. So far, the home has provided ‘home-from-home’ accommodation for 864 different family members. The other SSAFA Norton Home is located close to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey. Both homes can accommodate 7 families at a time.

Until the Fisher House project is completed, the SSAFA Norton House in Birmingham will continue to be the only dedicated accommodation facility for the families of wounded servicemen and women. The homes are funded in full by SSAFA Forces Help.

Major General Andrew Cumming, Chief Executive of SSAFA Forces Help said: “It is vital that we continue to provide dedicated practical support to the families of our injured servicemen and women. The Fisher House project will do just that and is very good news for Forces families. Since opening our two SSAFA Norton Homes in 2008, more than 2,000 different people have been able to stay close to a loved one when they need them most. We will continue this vital work and are very much looking forward to working alongside the Fisher Homes Foundation to help the families of our injured service personnel in the years ahead.”

MOD pledges millions to Service children

Innovative projects to make sure children of Service personnel are not disadvantaged by moving to different schools have received funding from the Ministry of Defence.

A total of 139 schools from across the United Kingdom have shared the first £3M allocated under the Support for State Schools Fund.

It is one of the key commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, the principles of which were enshrined in law last year and builds on the promises in education for the Armed Forces Community already made as part of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Support for State Schools Fund was started by the MOD in 2011 and will run for four years.

Examples of projects which have received funding in the first round of grants are:

Thirteen schools in the Helensburgh and Lomond area will benefit from £147,000 that has been awarded to Argyll and Bute Council. The money will help to prevent disruption to learning by providing short term support to Service children during while they settle into new surroundings process.
Harestock Primary School in Winchester has been awarded a grant of £40,000 to help fund a support worker to act as the focal point for Service families within the school, counselling for Service families with an absent parent and materials for welcome packs to support the integration of recently arrived Service families into the school community;
£17,500 has been given to fund a Scottish Transitions Officer (STO) to benefit all Scottish Local Authorities affected by the re-basing announcements. The application, which was put forward by the Association of Directors of Education (Scotland), will support the secondment of a STO with the primary purpose of supporting all Service children and families moving school into, within or out of Scotland to ensure the effective, co-ordinated transition of pupils while maintaining pupils' attainment and achievement;
St Athan Primary School in Wales were awarded a grant of just under £10,000 to further support the good work taking place in the school regarding development of literacy skills;
South Farnborough Infant School in Hampshire has been offered just under £3,000 to support a scheme to improve communication with deployed parents. The scheme will loan, pupils whose parent or parents have deployed netbooks so that they can keep in touch via Skype. The school anticipates improved social and emotional resilience from this group through the scheme.

Lynda Fisher, Director of the MOD's Children and Young People Directorate, said: "We know that moving from one school to another can be a challenging time for the children of serving personnel and this £3M fund has been set up to help mitigate some of the effects of moving away from familiar surroundings. The money will allow schools to provide measures to ensure children of Service families do not suffer any disadvantage by moving to or through different school systems. It was pleasing to see the interesting and varied projects that local authorities, academies and schools with Service children are already putting in place to help cope with the potential impact caused by deployment."

National Insurance Contribution Conditions for Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance: an easement for spouses and civil partners of Service personnel

The Department for Work and Pensions has carried out an equality impact assessment on the proposal to introduce an amendment to the National Insurance contribution conditions for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). This amendment will create an easement for spouses and civil partners of Service personnel. The proposal has been assessed in-line with the current public sector equality duties.

The proposal is that provision will be made enabling spouses or civil partners of a member of Her Majesty’s forces to benefit from a relaxation of the first contribution conditions for claims for JSA and ESA. This will commence from 1 January 2012.

Click here to read the full report from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Military Covenant Interim Report 2011

This report is the first of its kind since publication of the Armed Forces Covenant. From 2012 there will be a statutory duty to lay before Parliament an annual report which considers the effects of service on Regulars and Reservists, those who are serving and have served, their families and the bereaved.

Click here to download the report.

Improving play park facilities for Army families

AFF is currently involved in discussions with funding for play parks. We will be asking that funding is prioritised for those SFA where there is no nearby play park. AFF recognises that some quartering areas are some distance from local authority play park facilities and would like those areas to dealt with first. AFF knows that access to safe local play parks is vital for Army families. If you have any comments to make on your local play park facilities please email feedback@aff.org.uk.

Telephones For Troops

Do you have mobile phones sitting in drawers unused, unwanted, old. Why not donate these phones to the Royal British Legion and support a good cause while getting rid of your unwanted clutter? Simply send your phones to the address below and it will be converted into cash. They have already raised £400, and each phone sent to them could make a big difference to some of our own and their families.

Please send your unwanted phones to:

WO2 (SQMS) Stuart Gee
Hq London District
Horse Guards Parade
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AX
Tel: 0207 414 2260
Email: Stuart.gee414@mod.uk

Please note that this is not a freepost service.

Please ensure your phone memory is empty, the sim card has been removed and do not send chargers or other ancillaries.

Welcome home for heroes - keep it hush!

To show their appreciation and recognition of our Armed Forces, De Vere Venues are making a very special offer to all military personnel on returning from an operational tour of duty as well as Unit Rear Party personnel, CNOs, VOs and bereaved families, to enjoy some well deserved R&R. Enjoy a night away in any one of 25 of their fabulous properties nationwide for just £1 per room.

Full details of this fantastic offer and how to book are available on a special Welcome Home for Heroes section on www.keepithush.co.uk - click here for more information and the invitation code.