Information provided by Lyneham HIVE
May 30, 2025
Tidworth: Defence Breastfeeding Network conference Tue 3 Jun
Scan the QR code or click here to register
Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVEs on behalf of SW Hub HIVE
Future Defence Housing questionnaire by the Families Federations, as part of the Defence Housing Strategy review
They are looking for all Service Personnel of all ages, ranks, PstatCats and their families to complete this.
They are seeking views on current SFA, new builds and home ownership to help shape decisions on housing options for generations to come.
You can also read the press release here
Innsworth: Community Hall activities
From sports sessions and activities for young people to sessions for adults as well as active toddlers.
There's something for everyone at Innsworth Community Hall!
Information provided by Lyneham HIVE
Dundee: Museum of Transport 2025 events
click on image to enlarge
May 29, 2025
Wiltshire: Young Carer Voice Survey
By answering this short survey, you can help them create awesome projects and activities to help you and other young carers.
Take the survey now at https://surveys.wiltshire.gov.uk/Interview/4157779b-fdff-4617-81f8-8cf4c12f2110
Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVEs
Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey 2025 results
The results from the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) 2025 have been published and are available here.
Burntisland: PoppyScotland are on the lookout for a volunteer Poppy Appeal Area Organiser
The role of an Area Organiser involves the distribution of poppy tins and boxes to local schools and businesses, then collecting and banking all donations at the end of the Appeal.
Without all the amazing volunteers, they simply would be unable to spread our national symbol of Remembrance and raise vital funds for those in need within the Armed Forces Community.
More details of the role can be found via this link:
https://www.poppyscotland.org.uk/.../volun.../area-organiser
If you or someone you know would be interested in this role, please don't hesitate to contact Jess Clark Poppyscotland at j.clark@poppyscotland.org.uk or Ian Jackson at i.jackson@poppyscotland.org.uk.
Information provided by Leuchars HIVE
Medway Business Advice Service
Medway has a diverse economy made up of more than 14,000 businesses.
The aim is to support business to deliver projects that can make Medway an economic powerhouse.
The Business Advice Service and local network offers impartial business advice to companies of all sizes and in all sectors. Designed to help guide local businesses to find solutions best suited to their own needs.
Resources include:
- Free business planning advice
- Help to access funding in the form of grants and loans
- Help finding the ideal Medway location for your business
- Support in recruiting staff and apprentices
- Advice on business start-up and licensing a business
Click HERE for more information.
Information provided by South East HIVE Hub
Chatham: Neighbourhood Watch - catching nuisance vehicles
Neighbourhood Watch did a lot of work on off road vehicles last summer in the Chatham area and we found that the most effective and efficient way of dealing with this nuisance is to gather evidence, identify offenders and surprise them at their homes.
Often people will call us and tell us there are off road bikes with a limited description. What would really help us would be:
Click HERE for more information.
Surrey: Denbies live music on the lawn 2025
Join us for a relaxing afternoon on the lawn at Denbies Wine Estate with live music from different musicians
BRAND NEW Sofia Ford Singer & Guitarist - Sunday 1st June 1300hrs - 1700hrs
Luke Edney - Sunday 13th July
Luke Edney - Sunday 10th August
BRAND NEW Sofia Ford - Sunday 31st August
The Hatch on the Lawn will be open for refreshments throughout the day.
We look forward to welcoming you to Dorking for this event.
Click HERE for more information.
Information provided by South East HIVE Hub.
Watlington: The Undercroft farmers market until 31st July 2025
There's nothing like fresh fruit and vegetables from a local food market when on holiday.
The Undercroft Market takes place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the market town of Watlington, Oxfordshire. Held beneath Watlington Town Hall, a historic building that was built in 1664 by Thomas Stonor, it is undercover and open whatever the British weather brings.
The market supports locally grown produce, showcases the tastes of the season, sells dried flowers and plants and has been operating for more than 25 years.
Tuesdays - 0900hrs-1500hrs
Thursdays - 0900hrs-1500hrs
Saturdays - 0830hrs-1300hrs
Click HERE for more information.
Information provided by South East HIVE Hub
Surrey: NHS Surrey and Border Partnerships recovery college online courses
The colleges are a partnership including voluntary, NHS and local authority organisations, and existing Recovery Colleges.
All courses are run by staff from the partnership organisations and are developed and delivered alongside our recovery coaches who all have lived experience of mental or physical illness, or are supporting someone with a mental or physical illness.
Click HERE for more information.
Information provided by South East HIVE Hub.
May 28, 2025
Serve + Protect Credit Union’s latest podcast about managing debt successfully
The latest podcast episode from Serve and Protect Credit Union is full of useful information on managing your debt effectively and the support available if you are struggling.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/qtL02Yl2lV0?si=DJmTfo-KNo-G5euF
MOD staff benefit update: New fixed-rate savings account available from Serve + Protect Credit Union
This is available to you as part of the financial wellbeing benefits we offer through our partnership with them.
- 4% AER fixed for 12 months
- No fees or charges
This is just for your awareness - not a recommendation. Please review the details and decide if it’s right for you.
https://sandpcu.co.uk/hs-fixed-saver
Terms and eligibility criteria apply
Amesbury: Family Hub - Critters Club - Amesbury Library - No booking required
Tidworth: Family Hub - Critters Club - Tidworth Library - No booking required
Tidworth: Family Hub - Puzzle & Play Club - Tidworth Library - No booking required
Amesbury: Family Hub - Puzzle & Play Club -Amesbury Library - No booking required
Help RBLI Lifeworks better understand the needs of the Armed Forces Community – please complete their short online questionnaire
Your input is essential in helping us shape our employment skills training to be as effective and accessible as possible - https://forms.office.com/e/779uzXUBj0
Lifeworks is the employment support division of Royal British Legion Industries, a national charity supporting the Armed Forces. Its courses equip families with the tools necessary to pursue their desired careers outside the Armed Forces. https://rbli.co.uk/what-we-do/lifeworks/
Lifeworks is the employment support division of Royal British Legion Industries, a national charity supporting the Armed Forces. Its courses equip families with the tools necessary to pursue their desired careers outside the Armed Forces. https://rbli.co.uk/what-we-do/lifeworks/
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Supporting Partners Programme reopens for applications, closing date 12pm on 23rd July 2025
Scotland: Welcome to Scotland Guide updated for 2025
The Scottish Government Welcome to Scotland guide has now been updated for 2025.
Welcome to Scotland is a guide to support service personnel and their families upon their move to Scotland.
Due to the moving nature of service personnel and their families they can be transferred to different bases.
This guide gives key information on what to expect when moving to Scotland.
To read the guide in full click on image above 👆
Information provided by Leuchars HIVE
May 27, 2025
May 23, 2025
Wiltshire: Family Hub Wiltshire Council celebrates its first year!
Please click images to enlarge
Click here to follow Family Hub Wiltshire Council on Facebook
Alternatively click here to visit the website
Information provided by Colerne and Lyneham HIVE's
Gloucestershire: May updates from Gloucestershire County Council
Please click the links below for the latest updates from Gloucestershire County Council:
Information provided by Lyneham HIVE
Colerne: Tuesday Tots starting w/c 2 Jun
Colerne's Wednesday Wrigglers group has now finished, and instead the AWS CDW Josh will be running a new group in the Community Centre called Tuesday Tots.
As well as the usual activities, the group will also have access to a breast feeding peer supporter volunteer who can support you on your breast feeding journey.Information provided by Colerne HIVE
Colerne: New running club on the Colerne patch starting Mon 2 Jun
Please click the image to enlarge
Updates will be shared on the Colerne Military Spouses Facebook page
Information provided by Colerne HIVE
May 21, 2025
North Yorkshire & Humber: Forensic Nurse Advisor for Sexual Assualt (Military) - Emma
May 20, 2025
Northern Ireland: Statement from Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner on OP VALOUR
Statement from Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner - David Johnstone - 15 May
I welcome the UK Government’s announcement of the new VALOUR service, supported by a £50 million investment over three years, in veteran services across the UK. This is a significant opportunity to strengthen support for our veteran community.
That said, I await further detail on the duration of this funding and how it will be allocated in practice. In Northern Ireland, it is important that any new support structures build upon and complement the existing, trusted networks of veteran-focused organisations and services, rather than duplicate or fragment the support already in place.
May 19, 2025
Wiltshire: Foster Care fortnight 12-25 May - roadshows and virtual sessions coming this week
If you're thinking about getting involved in fostering, pop along to see the team and find out how you can get involved.
This week they will be:
- Monday 19 May, 2.30pm - 5.30pm at Westbury Library
- Tuesday 20 May, 9am - 2pm at Melksham market
- Wednesday 21 May, 9am - 2pm at Marlborough market
- Thursday 22 May, 11am - 3pm at Salisbury High Street
- Friday 23 May, 9am - 1pm at Warminster market
- Saturday 24 May, 10am - 2pm at Tidworth Leisure Centre
- Sunday 25 May, 10am - 5pm at Chippenham Folk Festival, The Island Park
Alternatively contact the team via the website https://orlo.uk/gofeT for more information!
Information provided by Colerne and Lyneham HIVEs
Calne: Free 'First Aid Awareness' session at Calne Library - Thu 19 Jun
Please click image to enlarge
To follow the Wiltshire Council Family Hub, please click here
Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVEs
Defence update - Your Offer - recognising your service
What Defence is doing to improve Service life and information on support and opportunities for you and your family.
The substantial range of benefits and allowances available in your Armed Forces Offer recognises the unique demands of military life and individual needs, at home and abroad.
Pay is the most well-recognised aspect of the Offer, but the breadth and complexity of everything that’s included within the Armed Forces employee package means it can be difficult to navigate and understand.
That’s why work is underway to help simplify the way we talk about ‘Your Offer’ – with Discover My Benefits being the place to go to find out what’s covered, what it’s worth, where to find out more and what you need to do.
What is Discover My Benefits?
Grantham Healthwatch Lincolnshire - Do you look after someone? Have your say as a carer on health and care in Lincolnshire
We want to hear from carers!
Do you provide unpaid care?
It could be care for a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who depends on you because of illness, disability, a mental health condition or frailty.
Carers play a vital but often invisible role in society, helping people to live safely and independently. But many carers face challenges in getting the support they need - both for themselves and for the person they care for.
Healthwatch Lincolnshire wants to hear your views in our Carer Survey 2025.
Information provided by Grantham HIVE
Grantham: Healthwatch Lincolnshire - Explaining your right to an NHS dentist
Grantham: family lives Community Connects
In North Lincs we deliver a peer support service for people who are experiencing emotional wellbeing problems, who may feel isolated, lonely, lack confidence and/or experience a sense of being out of control or powerlessness over their situation. They may feel disconnected from their community and feel unable to live life the way they had hoped to.
At Family Lives we recognise that everyone’s experience is unique to what is happening for them in their life and mind and that everyone will feel things at different degrees of severity over different periods of time.
Our team of Peer Support Workers all have lived experience and have a good understanding of what people are going through and coping with. We know what it feels like to feel you are alone and we understand that sometimes the worry and concern about the stigma associated with mental health can be overwhelming and can act as a barrier to seeking support. We also know how relieved and hopeful people can feel when they do reach out and realise that they are not alone, and support is available.
Our team will use their lived experience of mental health issues by offering emotional, practical and social support to enable people to regain balance in their life. We do this by offering a listening ear and understanding and developing positive peer relationships. We support people to find their own strengths and solutions, build their confidence and self-esteem including the confidence and skills to manage their home and finances. We help them to develop a toolkit and coping strategies on their journey to achieving better mental health, living life independently, pursuing social or vocational interests and achieving their aspirations, forging meaningful connections socially and with family, friends and within the community and live their life with purpose and emotionally and physically healthy and well.
We work closely with the Social Prescribing Service, Recovery Colleges and other community primary health care teams. We have good partnerships with local community services such as colleges, employment, benefit and housing teams, Refugee Council, Family Centres and so much more.
Our support services
At Family Lives we believe that our services are needed more than ever in the current crisis; we know that many individuals and families are experiencing even more challenges. This service provides a programme of support which, includes, face-to-face sessions in the home and community, phone and remote support, group work, social gatherings, signposting and support with accessing other services and activities.
We aim to deliver a friendly service in a manner that encourages participation and partnership and enables us to tailor our service to meet people’s unique needs. We appreciate it will change as we travel together but to begin with, we can offer the following types of support:
One to one individual support for between 2 – 3 months on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Light touch individual support over a longer period of time 3 – 6 months as and when required but approximately every 3 to 4 weeks.
Group support will be available to everyone waiting for, accessing and following completion of their individual support on a fortnightly basis.
Care to Chat support via telephone or video support for those who are waiting for the service or are not quite ready to meet in person. Duration to be determined with the individuals accessing support.
Phone and online support, including signposting to the Family Lives helpline, email support and live chat and other services is available to everyone throughout the support and for people making general enquiries.
Facebook Group where people can engage and connect with each other in a safe space, offer and receive support, share and gain information about coping strategies, local community events and relevant helpful organisations.
The online support can be accessed along the individual support sessions and group work.
For more information at: family lives
Information provided by Grantham HIVE
Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update from DIO, 16 May 25
Early adopters of new online platform HomeHub
DIO in collaboration with Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO, have invited a small group of Personnel and families as early adopters of HomeHub – a new online platform for households to easily manage repairs, appointments and their SFA in general.
Early adopters include representatives from all three services and a mix of ranks and locations – with the aim of gaining a broad representation of our SFA community and estate.
Those participating will be contacted in the coming days with instructions on how to take part. From this month until August, they will have access to an early version of HomeHub where they can feedback their honest thoughts and experiences through surveys.
For those families supporting the development of HomeHub as early adopters, your help in gathering feedback will be invaluable in helping us refine the portal into a seamless and user-friendly platform that really meets the needs of our families. A finalised version of HomeHub will be rolled out to all SFA this year.
Summer safety reminders:
We understand that it can get very warm, and you may want to open windows wide to let in a cool breeze, but there is a risk of children or vulnerable adults falling from open windows and being injured if restrictors are not engaged.
It is important to check whether your window restrictors are operating correctly. Please contact Pinnacle immediately on 0800 031 8628 if your restrictors are not working or your windows can be opened more than 100mm when restrictors are engaged.
There have been a few incidences recently where access has been blocked to a boiler flue or electrics have been adjusted – causing damage to the properties and a safety risk to families and neighbours.
To ensure everyone remains safe, it is vital we can access your home to carry out these inspections and you do not interfere, alter or obstruct any gas or electric appliances, in particular boiler flues.
Flues are designed to take in air and then dispel harmful fumes outside homes via a second duct. Any interference could cause the appliance to malfunction or prevent boiler emissions being discharged outside the home, resulting in a serious health risk to the household. The flues are checked annually as part of the Landlord Gas Safety Inspections (LGSI).
Before undertaking any DIY projects, you should seek approval by submitting an enhancement request to Pinnacle to ensure the proposed works are safe.
Understanding the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP)
Defence has created an informative and transparent leaflet called ‘welcoming our new neighbours’ to help you understand more about our eligible Afghan allies, who have been relocated into our communities and SFA under the UK’s safe and legal ARP.
The new resource is attached for ease and outlines:
Improvements to the e-1132 form online system
Applying for your new SFA home can be both an exciting and daunting time. To make the process of applying easier, DIO will be updating the design of the e-1132 form today (Friday 16 May 2025) – making it simpler for you to navigate the online system and locate the information you need quickly.
On receipt of a new assignment order or if you are entitled to SFA, you must apply for your new home at your next duty station using the e-1132 form. You can access the online system here after logging into the Defence intranet.
DIO in collaboration with Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO, have invited a small group of Personnel and families as early adopters of HomeHub – a new online platform for households to easily manage repairs, appointments and their SFA in general.
Early adopters include representatives from all three services and a mix of ranks and locations – with the aim of gaining a broad representation of our SFA community and estate.
Those participating will be contacted in the coming days with instructions on how to take part. From this month until August, they will have access to an early version of HomeHub where they can feedback their honest thoughts and experiences through surveys.
For those families supporting the development of HomeHub as early adopters, your help in gathering feedback will be invaluable in helping us refine the portal into a seamless and user-friendly platform that really meets the needs of our families. A finalised version of HomeHub will be rolled out to all SFA this year.
Summer safety reminders:
- Window restrictors
We understand that it can get very warm, and you may want to open windows wide to let in a cool breeze, but there is a risk of children or vulnerable adults falling from open windows and being injured if restrictors are not engaged.
It is important to check whether your window restrictors are operating correctly. Please contact Pinnacle immediately on 0800 031 8628 if your restrictors are not working or your windows can be opened more than 100mm when restrictors are engaged.
- Gas and electrical safety
There have been a few incidences recently where access has been blocked to a boiler flue or electrics have been adjusted – causing damage to the properties and a safety risk to families and neighbours.
To ensure everyone remains safe, it is vital we can access your home to carry out these inspections and you do not interfere, alter or obstruct any gas or electric appliances, in particular boiler flues.
Flues are designed to take in air and then dispel harmful fumes outside homes via a second duct. Any interference could cause the appliance to malfunction or prevent boiler emissions being discharged outside the home, resulting in a serious health risk to the household. The flues are checked annually as part of the Landlord Gas Safety Inspections (LGSI).
Before undertaking any DIY projects, you should seek approval by submitting an enhancement request to Pinnacle to ensure the proposed works are safe.
Understanding the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP)
Defence has created an informative and transparent leaflet called ‘welcoming our new neighbours’ to help you understand more about our eligible Afghan allies, who have been relocated into our communities and SFA under the UK’s safe and legal ARP.
The new resource is attached for ease and outlines:
- Eligibility and the evidence-based migration process.
- Defence’s duty to support our Afghan allies in need, who risked their lives working alongside British Armed Forces during the campaign in Afghanistan.
- Answers to the most frequently asked questions and safety concerns of families.
- How families can support their integration into the community.
Click on the image to open the leaflet
Improvements to the e-1132 form online system
Applying for your new SFA home can be both an exciting and daunting time. To make the process of applying easier, DIO will be updating the design of the e-1132 form today (Friday 16 May 2025) – making it simpler for you to navigate the online system and locate the information you need quickly.
On receipt of a new assignment order or if you are entitled to SFA, you must apply for your new home at your next duty station using the e-1132 form. You can access the online system here after logging into the Defence intranet.
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