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

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

 

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

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

Shropshire: Live Well Community Hub Donnington - 1st Friday of every month

 Information provided by: Central HIVE Hub

Darlington: Resilience through craft - for Service Women: Seen & Heard

 Information provided by North HIVE Hub

Dreghorn: Pinnacle drop-in sessions, Tuesdays 1300-1500

click on image to enlarge

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

Fife: Winter bin collections with Fife Council, brown bin collection dates will change

Brown bin collection dates in Fife will be changing, as usual, for the colder months.

Winter collections mean that your brown garden/food waste bins will be collected every 4 weeks over the coldest months, from 3 November 2025. Regular fortnightly collections will resume from 13 March 2026.

Thank you for continuing to recycle all year round - your efforts are appreciated.

Online bin calendars are up to date and here is the link to check your schedule: www.fife.gov.uk/bincalendar

You can also sign up for bin notifications By registering and signing up with your email, you will get a handy email the day before collection with the bin colour due.

Register for bin notifications online: www.fife.gov.uk/binreminders

Information provided by Leuchars HIVE

DIO SFA Communications Update: 23 Oct – Defence Homes Colour Palette

Patch Hacks: New painting guidelines for UK SFA

As part of their commitment to modernise outdated policies and give Service families more freedoms, DIO has introduced a new Defence Homes Colour Palette. And they say:

“We understand that being able to personalise your home is important. Whilst previously all interior walls had to be returned to magnolia or white before moving out, our new colour palette offers a broader range of colours for families to choose from.

“Colours within this range are light and neutral and will not require reverting to white. Take a look at our new colour palette along with some inspiration on how they could be styled in your home here.

“To give you as much freedom as possible, we haven’t dictated particular paint brands, colour names or types (like matt or silk). If you’re unsure whether your chosen colour complies with the approved range on the colour palette, you can check with your dedicated Housing Officer.

“As always, you are welcome to paint your interior walls other colours outside of the new palette range, but these will require reverting back to white upon move out.

“More information on this new policy, including a Top Tips guide for painting the interior of your SFA, can be found on the Defence Homes website. This includes helpful guidance on everything from choosing the right type of paint for a room to prepping the walls and aftercare.”

Defence Homes Paint FAQs page