Anchoring & Military Minds Spring Newsletter 2026

The Anchoring & Military Minds Spring Newsletter is now available. It’s packed with updates, upcoming events, family‑friendly activities, and information on the support available to serving personnel and military families.

Anchoring & Military Minds offers free, confidential support to anyone connected to the Armed Forces community. Whether it’s guidance around mental health, family wellbeing, navigating services, or simply needing a chat—please feel free to get in touch or pass their details on to someone who may benefit.

To read the newsletter in full, please CLICK HERE

To find out more, please visit https://www.solentmind.org.uk/support-for-you/our-services/military-minds/

Military Connected Children and Young People – Survey invitation: Our Health, Our Community, Our Voice

We need your help! We're asking children and young people from military families to answer some questions and we'd really love to hear from you!

What is it all about? We want to find out what life is like for children who have a parent or guardian in the military. We're asking questions about your home, your school, your friends, and how you feel. This helps us understand what's great about military life, and where young people might need more support.

What are Social Determinants of Health? These are just the things around you that can affect how healthy and happy you feel, like where you live, who you spend time with, whether you feel safe, and whether you can get help when you need it.

What will I need to do? You'll be asked to fill in an online survey. It's not a test and there are no right or wrong answers! It will take about 10–15 minutes and you can do it at home or at school.

Everything you say is private. Your name won't be shared with anyone.

Why should I do it?

• Because your opinion really matters!
• To help other children in military families get better support
• Hundreds of young people all over the UK are doing it too and you'll be part of something really important

Please use the relevant QR to your age group in the poster attached. Or follow the links below to the survey:

Age 8-11 – Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

Age 12-15 – Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

Age 16-18 - Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: New funding opens to help young service children get the best start in life

New funding opens to help young service children get the best start in life

Young children in serving armed forces families often experience change in their early years before they even start school.

Frequent moves, long periods of separation, and the pressures of service life can all affect a child’s sense of stability at a critical stage of development.

A new round of funding has now opened to help early years providers and local authorities respond to these challenges and give service children the strong, nurturing start they deserve.

Early Years Programme

The Early Years programme delivered by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, is part of the Armed Forces Families Fund. It supports projects that improve childcare provision for children aged birth to five from serving armed forces families. Focus is on helping early years settings develop practical projects that reflect the realities of military life, ensuring young service children can access safe, consistent environments that support their learning, wellbeing and sense of security before they begin primary school.

What funding can support

Give the Gift of Headspace This Easter

Enroll in your Headspace benefit: work.headspace.com/britisharmy/member-enroll

Headspace Log In

Northern Ireland: Causeway Coast & Glens Events for 2026

 

For more details please visit Events | Whats On | Visit Causeway Coast & Glens

Information provided by HIVE NI

South West: National Garden Scheme across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Oxfordshire

 

The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,300 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated over £77.8 million to nursing and health charities and in 2025 made an annual donation of over £3.8 million. Our core beneficiaries include Carer’s Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Parkinson’s UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – we are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. We also support charities doing amazing work in gardens and health and grant bursaries to help community gardening projects.

Please click the links below for further information:

Wiltshire gardens

Gloucestershire gardens

Somerset gardens

Oxfordshire gardens

Information provided by Colerne & Lyneham HIVE

Catterick: Foxglove Covert reopens 30th March

Foxglove Covert is reopening with a new entrance on 30th March.  Accessible from Waitwith Road

Usual opening hours will resume form this date.  Come along for Easter festivities including a Fun trail, Craft activities and a pond trail

www.foxglovecovert.org.uk

Information provided by North HIVE Hub

Army Welfare Service – Contact Number Changes for Intake & Assessment Team (IAT) and Services Cotswold Centre

Please be advised that the Army Welfare Service has introduced updated contact numbers for two key services. These new numbers are now active and replace the previous lines, which have been permanently disconnected.

Intake & Assessment Team (IAT)

07813 019 490

The IAT remains available for queries, phone referrals, support, and contact from units, partners, and Service Users via:

• Telephone: 07813 019 490
• Email: RC-AWS-IAT-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk
• Referral Form: via the standard AWS referral process - Army Welfare Service (AWS) Specialist Welfare (SW) Referral Form – Fill in form

Services Cotswold Centre

03311 432754

This number replaces the previous SCC contact line.

BOWRA Foundation: Residential weekends - Opportunity for people affected by acquired brain injury and their support networks to enjoy time together

For more information click HERE

Information provided by South West HIVE Hub
 

Shrewton: The Bustard - Coffee and Chat - for Veterans and Serving Personnel

Information provided by South West HIVE Hub