We work closely with a number of UK armed forces charities to identify specific projects that we can help to fund and make a lasting impact. Read about some of our partnerships below. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we unrestricted our funding so our charity partners could use it where they need it most to ensure that their beneficiaries are supported at this time.
Providing educational and vocational training
We are proud to have a long-standing history of over 20 years working with ABF The Soldiers Charity to support the Army family. Over the past decade, our donations have supported the Charity’s Tools for Transition programme, providing educational and vocational training grants for soldiers and veterans in need to start civilian careers.
Our contributions have helped to provide:
- Education and training fees for those transitioning to gain qualifications for their chosen career – from private security licenses to teacher training courses.
- Provision of training materials – laptops, specific trade equipment, etc.
- Recovery tools for soldiers suffering health problems to support their rehabilitation.
- The employment of two Special Employment Consultants (SECs) who provide vocational case-working to veterans
Thanks to our partnership, hundreds of soldiers in need have been given assistance to help them find work..
Airplay youth support programme
We support the RAF Benevolent Fund's Airplay youth support programme, which provides a range of facilities and a range of activities for RAF children and young people based on RAF stations. The programme is delivered by trained youth workers and has been rolled-out across all main RAF Stations so that the children and young people have some much-needed continuity if and when their family relocates.
Employability support for sailors and marines
Since 2013, we’ve made annual donations to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC), contributing to a variety of projects that support sailors, marines and their families, for life. For the last three years, our partnership with the RNRMC has supported the family of Naval Service Charities in a number of through-life pathways, including supporting Royal Navy and Royal Marines veterans with physical and mental health conditions find their way back into employment.
Online resources to support mental health
We have worked with the veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress for a number of years and supported programmes that help veterans manage their mental health. Our most recent donation has been used to create online resources that explore the range of emotions that veterans could be facing due to COVID-19, such as low mood, anxiety, anger and substance misuse.
Providing a "home from home" for service families
Since 2014, we have contributed towards the running costs of SSAFA's Norton Homes – a “home from home” facility that provides a comfortable place for families to stay so that they can be near their loved ones (wounded, injured or sick service personnel) whilst they are in recovery.
The Norton Homes at Selly Oak and Headley Court have now closed with the move to a central Defence National Rehabilitation Centre in the Midlands, and so our current support is for SSAFA’s Norton House Stanford Hall.
This facility provides a haven for those being treated at the nearby DNRC, to allow them a break from the hospital environment, as well as having peace of mind knowing their families are in a safe and supportive environment.