St Athan: Collect your copy of the Aut/Win 2025 Edition of the Little Troopers Gazette from the Wales HIVE Hub, St Athan

Pick up your free copy of the Autumn / Winter 2025 edition of Little Troopers Gazette from the Wales HIVE Hub:

Wales HIVE Hub
2 Rook Close,
St Athan,
Vale of Glamorgan,
CF62 4NA

Contact:
Tel: 01446 798381
Email: RC-Pers-HIVE-WalesHub-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk

To find out more about Little Troopers you can access their website here.

Information provided by Wales HIVE Hub.

Wiltshire & Gloucestershire: Civilian mental health support services

Please find below for a selection of links for mental health support agencies in the Wiltshire, Swindon and Gloucestershire areas.

Wiltshire incl. Swindon

• NHS Talking Therapies in BaNES, Swindon & Wiltshire
• Alabare mental health support services in Wiltshire
  
• Wiltshire Mind
  
• Swindon (& Gloucestershire) Mind
• Wiltshire Children & Young People Emotional Wellbeing Service
• Wiltshire Council mental health support info
• Swindon Borough Council mental health support info

Gloucestershire

• Gloucestershire NHS Talking Therapies
• Connect and Offload support service
• Empowering Minds - Rethink Mental Illness support in Gloucestershire
  
• Gloucestershire (& Swindon) Mind
• On Your Mind support finder for 0-25 year olds
• Gloucestershire County Council mental health support info
  
• Other sources of support in Gloucestershire

Please note these lists are not exhaustive and other support services may be available

Information provided by Colerne and Lyneham HIVE

Shorncliffe: Army Welfare Service Improve your IT skills every Wed & Fri 1000hrs - 1300hrs Age 17+

 

Information provided by South East HIVE Hub

Grantham: Grantham Library opening times

 For more information click here:

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

Grantham: South Kesteven District Council - information on operated car parks

What you need to know for car parking in the SKDC operated car parks, plus online car parking fees@ southkesteven.gov.uk parkopedia.co.uk

Information provided by Grantham HIVE

 

National Day Nurseries paid supported employment childcare programme (England and Wales, Veterans and Veteran Partners)

National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) have been granted funding by the Veterans’ Foundation to deliver a 16-week childcare programme, to support Veterans and partners of Veterans who might be interested in pursuing a career in childcare. Please find the project overview attached.

Details of the programme:Eligibility: 18+, unemployed or economically inactive, must either be a Veteran or partner of a Veteran
16-week paid programme (National Living Wage)
Participants are employed by NDNA as Trainee Nursery Assistants to work 16 hours per week
Training is delivered remotely during the first 4-weeks, followed by 12-weeks on placement in a childcare setting
Mentor support is provided by the Project Team throughout the programme
The project starts week commencing 05/01/2026
7 places available
As the project is delivered remotely, we can accept applicants from anywhere across England and Wales

You can find case studies on previous Trainee Nursery Assistants that we have supported here: https://ndna.org.uk/ndna-cymru/cymru-case-studies/#childcareworks

The project overview can be found HERE

The Trainee Nursery Assistant Job Description can be found HERE

Northern Ireland: Statement from Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner re the Passing of the Armed Forces Covenant Motion

 

Statement From the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, Mr David Johnstone
On the Passing of the Armed Forces Covenant Motion at Stormont this Evening.
4 November 2025

I warmly welcome the passing of today’s motion at Stormont in support of service leavers, veterans, and their families through the Armed Forces Covenant.
This is a significant step that reaffirms the principle at the heart of the Covenant, that those who serve, or have served, and their families should not face disadvantage as a result of their service. It is about fairness, understanding, and ensuring that members of the Armed Forces community are treated with the respect and consideration they deserve.
It is also important that the narrative surrounding the Armed Forces within our community in Northern Ireland is not misrepresented.
I would like to express my appreciation to all who have signed this motion. Veterans, Paul Frew - DUP, Andy Allen - UUP, alongside Paula Bradshaw - Alliance and Timothy Gaston - TUV. Also a thank you to MLA Johnny Buckley who was instrumental in starting the process that has led to today’s vote.
This is a positive and encouraging development for our Armed Forces community and a step towards ensuring that veterans, service leavers, and their families receive the support and recognition they deserve.

Information provided by HIVE NI

Salisbury Plain: Salisbury Plain Military Coworking Network Hub - Content Planning Club - Accountability & Advice - First Thursday of the month

Are you a military spouse/partner that creates content?

As well as our physical SALISBURY PLAIN MCN HUB (why not reach out and book a trial?) where you can book a desk to help you get into the zone without the distractions from home, we also run a virtual session to connect us. First Thursday of the month, 10:30am-12pm, totally free. In fact, we are holding a session next Thursday 06.11.2025. 

Content may be something that’s all too easy to slip off your to do list, time and time again, but we hope these sessions provide the accountability you may feel you need to make sure you’re actually creating it once in a while.

Content can range from social media content, to emails, to blog posts, magazine articles or just about anything else!

The bonus? Throughout the session you’re able to ask for feedback and advice in the Zoom chat, so no more analysis paralysis or being stuck for ideas as you can ask in there.

We’d love to see you there

https://www.militarycoworking.uk/events

Information provided by South West HIVE Hub

New Defence Housing Strategy published

 
Defence Housing Strategy

Following an announcement by Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey MP this afternoon, we are delighted to share the new Defence Housing Strategy.

Independently led by a team of experts and driven by the input of more than 6,000 service families, the strategy sets out the most significant change for Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. It marks the start of a fully costed ten-year programme to reshape, redevelop and modernise the Defence housing estate to best meet the realities of modern service family life.

We have summarised some of the key changes set out in the strategy for you and your family below:

Redevelopment and modernisation of UK SFA

• Every service family deserves a home they can be proud of. This transformation will create thousands of high-quality homes, supporting our Armed Forces and their families for decades to come.  
• We will be giving over 40,000 military homes a makeover – new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems to ensure you have what you need for comfortable modern living.  14,000 of these homes will be substantially refurbished or replaced.
• Rapid improvements are already underway through a Consumer Charter for Forces Families introduced earlier this year. New and upgraded military homes will meet modern property standards comparable to the best professional housing organisations, ensuring they are warm, spacious and of high quality.

£4.5 million awarded to support veterans with a housing need

· 19 organisations to receive a share of £4.5 million under the Veterans’ Capital Housing Fund.

· These projects will provide new builds and significant refurbishment of rental accommodation offering high quality support for veterans with a housing need.

19 organisations will share £4.5 million thanks to funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs’ Veterans’ Capital Housing Fund. The awards cover England, Scotland and Wales and contribute to the Government’s ambition to reduce veteran homelessness and end rough sleeping.

Nine grants are awarded under the Major Capital Grants programme, which supports new build accommodation and significant refurbishment and extension of accommodation for veterans. A further 10 supplementary grants are awarded to existing projects. These latest awards bring the total awarded through this programme to over £12.5 million.

Find out more

You can find a full list of all awardees from this round and previous rounds of the Major Capital Grants programme on the Trust’s website www.covenantfund.org.uk

Keep up to date with funding opportunities

For the latest updates and announcements on Covenant Fund programmes, and any other funding opportunities the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has available throughout the year, sign up to their e-newsletter via their website www.covenantfund.org.uk