Forward Assist CEO Shortlisted for a Soldiering On Lifetime Achievement Award

Now in their 14th year, the Soldiering On Awards celebrate excellence within the Armed Forces community across twelve distinct categories, ranging from Family Values to Business Start-Up and Animal Partnership. These awards aim to highlight ordinary individuals accomplishing extraordinary feats. Leading the selection process, Co-Chairs of Judges Lt Gen (Ret’d) Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE and Debra Allcock-Tyler, CEO of the Directory of Social Change, guided a distinguished panel of independent judges. They meticulously selected 36 finalists from an exceptional pool of nominees, with three finalists chosen for each category. A private reception at the House of Lords in July, hosted by Awards Patron the Rt Hon Earl Howe GBE PC, will honour the finalists. The winners will be announced at a spectacular black-tie event at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, 16th October 2024, hosted by special guest presenter Jeremy Vine. Tony Wright CEO said… “ Its an honour to find myself in such esteemed company and a great tribute to everyone, past and present that has helped me build a needs led and person centred service for thousands of military veterans and their families.” Thank you.

Forward Assist: Charity Partner of The New Starbucks Store in Cramlington.

On the 14th June I was invited to the official opening and ribbon cutting of the new Starbucks Drive Thru in Cramlington. Starbucks UK are long standing supporters of our charity and to have a store open less than half a mile from our HQ is simply wonderful. The opening created 15 new jobs for local people and Forward Assist are the nominated charity for the next 12 months. Thank you for thinking of us Team Starbucks its really appreciated.

Forward Assist Nominated Charity At The North East HR&D Awards Night

On the 6th June 2024 I was invited to attend the North East HR&D Awards Night at The Fed in Gateshead. Myself and Brian Hegarty (Trustee) were made to feel truly welcome and during the course of the event the organisers played a two minute video to the 450 guests which outlined Forward Assists mission supporting veterans going forwards into 2025 and beyond. I was astonished to learn that, on the night, the event raised over £2800 which we have put towards our forthcoming combat veterans research trip to Washington DC in September this year. The wonderful team from The North East Times came out to deliver the cash donations and hear more about the ground-breaking work of this North East charity. On behalf of the Trustees and those we seek to serve, we thank you all for your generosity.

Forward Assist Invited To Number 10

Tony Wright Founder and CEO of Forward Assist was delighted to be invited to 10 Downing Street to celebrate 20 years of The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Charity Award Winners. Forward Assist won the award way back in 2015 and have since gone from strength to strength since that time. It was great to catch up with other winners from all over the UK and hear about their outstanding work supporting so many people in so many ways. An inspirational day, in an extraordinary setting and all on the day that the Prime Minister announced the next General Election.

The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP Accepts Role as Patron

Delighted to report that Rt. Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office returned to be a Patron of Forward Assist earlier this year. Forward Assist are honoured to have Anne-Marie Trevelyan as a Patron of Forward Assist. Since she was elected as the Conservative MP for Berwick upon Tweed nine years ago, she has worked tirelessly to support this charities work with armed forces veterans. In particular, she has been instrumental in ensuring the voices of women veterans from the North East are heard in Parliament and was guest speaker at the launch our veteran debate training programme in Speakers House. This year she is actively supporting our work with older combat veterans and continues to be a tour de force by giving a voice to hidden populations within the armed forces community.

Forward Assist Veterans Debating Society, Facilitate Ground-breaking Women Veteran Debate.

On Monday 11th March a group of women veterans from Salute Her UK debated in the House of Commons the merits of the UK Government adopting the term Military Sexual Trauma. The event was hosted by Sarah Atherton MP and the training was, once again, delivered by Parallel Histories. Feedback from all involved has been incredibly positive and supportive with those in attendance being representative of all political parties. Sarah Atherton later described the event “ It was a powerful and incredibly raw discussion - thank you to all those who attended.”

Me... My Churchill Fellowship & Veteran Retreats

It was during my 2011, Churchill Fellowship funded research trip to the USA that I first heard of the therapeutic benefits of ‘Veteran Retreats’ Inspired by the benefits I saw being delivered I have facilitated over 20 retreats for male and female veterans in all parts of the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Arkansas, Texas, Virginia & The District of Columbia.

You Can Read my Churchill Fellowship Blog Here:
https://www.churchillfellowship.org/news-views/blogs/supporting-veterans-through-therapeutic-retreats/

Straight From The Forces Mouth: Top Transition Tips From UK Veterans

Sadly, the "mad, bad, and sad" narrative is often used to describe UK veterans. This is a negative and harmful stereotype that can be a significant barrier to veterans' successful transition to civilian life. This narrative perpetuates misconceptions and stigmatises veterans, ultimately hindering their reintegration into mainstream society. We can change that narrative by interacting with veterans who have made a successful transition to civilian life, as they can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for those who are currently in the process of transitioning and adjusting to life outside the wire. By listening to the lived experience of how they overcame challenges and achieved their goals, we can instil a sense of hope and determination in others. Successful veterans are the armed forces greatest untapped asset and can provide valuable insights and practical guidance on how to navigate the transition process. They can share tips and strategies for finding employment, pursuing education or training, and/or adapting to civilian culture. ‘Straight From The Forces Mouth’ aims to give the hidden majority, the success stories… a voice. Read it here: https://www.forward-assist.com/straight-from-the-forces-mouth-research-paper

Seen But Not Heard: Unheard Voices From The Military BAME Community

The impact of sexual assault and military sexual trauma is particularly challenging for BAME victims in the UK armed forces. These individuals often face unique barriers in seeking and receiving support due to racism, cultural stigmas, language barriers, and a lack of culturally sensitive services. The intersectionality of their identities—being both victims of sexual assault and members of minority communities—compounds the challenges they face. It is essential to recognise these complexities and work towards inclusive and effective solutions that address the needs of BAME victims within the armed forces. Read it Here: https://www.forward-assist.com/bame-research

Its Begining To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund we are inviting twenty of Salute Cafe’s loyal customers and volunteers to a free Christmas dinner on 19th December. This invite only event is in addition to our usual community Christmas Dinner celebration on the 14th December 2023.

Forward Assist Veterans Debating Society Heading To The Palace of Westminster in 2024

The Forward Assist Debating Society have commissioned Parallel Histories to train another cohort of women veterans in the art of Parliamentary debate. On completion of the training in 2024, the women veterans from Salute Her UK will travel to London for a tour of the House of Commons followed by a topical debate in the Palace of Westminster. A big thank you Sarah Atherton MP for making this life changing opportunity possible.

Capita Staff Volunteers Dig Over Veterans Allotments

Every time we watch the news we are reminded that we are living in very uncertain times. Yet, kindness is alive and well and thanks to a group of volunteers from Capita North Tyneside our raised vegetable beds at our operational HQ were topped up with soil in anticipation of our volunteers planting kitchen herbs and salad leaves for use in Salute Café in 2024. Similarly, the hardy team also volunteered to weed and dig over Forward Assist’s and Salute Her UK’s vegetable allotments in the grounds of Seaton Delaval Hall. Not content with this selfless act of generosity they also decided to renovate an overgrown plot used by community volunteers to help them improve their own physical health and wellbeing. “Having the ground prepared and ready to plant is a huge weight off my mind. An over grown vegetable garden can be overwhelming both physically and psychologically and I can’t thank the Capita team enough for helping us get this onerous task sorted before Christmas. Thank you.”

UK Office for Veterans’ Affairs Veterans Consultation is Now Open

The UK Government’s Office for Veterans’ Affairs has launched a major new consultation to gather evidence on the experiences of UK Armed Forces veterans. This consultation will enable them to better understand veterans, their families and their experiences in the community. The findings will be used to shape strategies, and ensure that they make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran. They are seeking responses from UK Armed Forces veterans and their families, based across the UK or overseas - as well as veteran organisations, charities and experts. The consultation closes on 4 January.

You can take part in the consultation by visiting GOV.UK.

The Forward Assist Veterans Debate Training Project is Back!

Delighted to report that Forward Assist has commissioned Parallel Historieshttps://parallelhistories.org.uk/ to once again, deliver a series of Debate Training sessions for women veterans accessing support from Salute Her UK. The aim of the Veterans Debate Training Project is to introduce and teach military veterans the art of British Parliamentary Debate. The project is run in partnership with students from a variety of University Debating Societies and in the past this has included students from The Cambridge Union, Newcastle and Northumbria University and staff from the House of Commons Parliamentary Outreach Team. Over a period of eight weeks Veterans are trained in debate techniques and the project culminates in a final debate attended by MP’s, supporters, friends and family members. In recent years, veterans and students have been invited to the Houses of Parliament to watch and perform debates in the both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Forward Assist Veterans Charity Wins Communications Award

The Company of Communicators’ 2023 Clarity in Charity in Communications Award has been won by Forward Assist for its campaigns raising the profile of women veterans’ and their struggle against sexual harassment and bullying in the military.

This has been focussed through its charity Salute Her UK giving women veterans access to mental health therapists to help reduce social isolation and loneliness. The Judging Panel acknowledged the strong communications employed by Forward Assist in gaining strong hard-hitting media coverage, through innovative work and ultimately achieving its objectives by being recognised in Parliament and by Government.

El Hombre Invisible: UK Male Veterans Share Their Experiences of Military Sexual Trauma.

Its interesting that for generations, the UK Ministry of Defence has failed to recognise that male military sexual assault victims actually exist, or that it has a duty of care to ensure that those victim/survivors have access to timely, trauma informed support and therapeutic interventions and/or compensation. Over in the USA it is estimated that about 10,000 men serving in the military have been sexually assaulted over the decades. Overwhelmingly, the victims are young and low-ranking. Like the veterans in this report, many struggle when they leave the military and have trouble accessing trauma informed support to help address their multiple and complex and unmet needs in civilian life.

In total we interviewed 30 male survivors of MST aged between 37 to 69 years. 17 veterans classed themselves as single, 10 were married and 3 were in a civil partnership. The majority of those interviewed had served in the Army 53.33% (n16) with 30% (n9) serving in the Royal Navy and 16.67% (n5) serving in the Royal Air Force. Average length of service across the sample was between 2-17 years.

Warning: The content of this report may be emotionally challenging for some people and the lived experience ‘first person’ narratives of sexual assault may be potentially triggering.

https://www.forward-assist.com/s/THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-PDF-Verison-10.pdf

LGBTQ+ VETERANS CONSULTATION REPORT

Approximately 250 members of Her Majesties Armed forces were thrown out each year because of their sexuality, and frequently had their service medals withdrawn and pension rights rescinded. In some cases, medals were physically ripped from a service person’s uniform after a conviction at Court-Martial. Those found guilty of identifying as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender sometimes went on to a serve a prison term, typically several months long. Soldiers often faced prolonged exposure to prejudice, discrimination, homophobic abuse, humiliation and for some, physical violence and sexual assault. To combat retaliation, soldiers often lived a double life hiding their sexuality out of fear. There are no accurate statistics to indicate how many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans there are in the UK. However, what we do know from countries like the United States and Canada is that LGBT Veterans are at a disproportionate risk for suicide and other poor health outcomes (Mereish, et al., 2012), due in part, to barriers in accessing services and lack of social support. Sexual and gender minority veterans continue to face stigma and discrimination, which can negatively affect their confidence and self-esteem for the rest of their natural life. Similarly, research in the USA and Canada indicates that LGBTQ+ Veterans are more likely to report poor physical and mental health. Recent data shows minority women veterans have more chronic health conditions and report worse health compared to heterosexual women veterans and non-veterans. They are also more likely to be smokers, engage in excessive drinking, feel sad, isolated and lonely. Additional research in the USA found that LGB women Veterans were at higher risk of military sexual assault and intimate partner violence after service. Read Report Here: https://mark-hosker-g2l5.squarespace.com/s/Consultation-exercise.pdf

Falklands Veterans Retreat 2023

Every year Forward Assist take veterans on a life changing veteran retreats in rural France. The retreats offer the benefit of physical, emotional and psychological withdrawal from the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Catching up with lad’s you have served with and shared many experiences with but haven’t seen for so many years. The laughs, the banter, the comradeship, the noisy times, the quiet times was all very therapeutic.

It was great to be lifted out of the everyday humdrum of life just for a few special days and share some great memories with like minded people who are friends for life. Just for a short time we were all in our twenties again.

Most excellent.

Forward Assist Facilitates Another Fantastic Retreat For Women!

Getting away from it all has never been more important and our annual veteran retreats in France are always the highlight of the year for those that access our services. This year was no exception and a great time was had by all. Big Thanks to Richard Skerritt and Bolt Burdon & Kemp for their kindness and generosity.

Forgotten Women Veterans: Hidden Narratives From The UK Criminal Justice System 2023

Labour Friends of the Forces thanks Forward Assist and Salute Her UK for producing the Forgotten Women Veterans report, and Community for funding it. We also thank all the women veterans who gave their time to share their experiences with the research team at Salute Her UK; your contributions will help improve the lives of other women veterans across the UK. Conducting the research and analysis that went into this report has highlighted a shortage of existing UK specific research into the experiences of women veterans, particularly when compared to the research picture in North America. This is a gap we hope future projects will address. Notwithstanding these gaps, this report contains useful and important lessons for, among others, UK and devolved administrations, police forces and the criminal justice system. We hope it is widely read.  

Toby Dickinson, Co-Chair Labour Friends of the Forces