Armed Forces Charities benefit from over £270K contribution from Defence Discount Service

Defence Discount Service (DDS), the official MoD discount service, has contributed over £275,000 to military projects that support current and former members of the armed forces in the last 12 months.

Since its launch in 2012, DDS has given a percentage of all revenue to charitable causes that support the wellbeing of the Armed Forces community, endeavouring to help those who’ve served our nation both at home and abroad.

In the last year, DDS has donated funds to The Army Central Fund, RAF Central Fund, the Permanent Joint Headquarters Operations Welfare Fund and The Royal Navy.

The funds will be used for a range of projects, including providing mobile workout stations to deployed RAF personnel, supporting physical activity, and addressing social isolation with children and young people.

Money will also go towards the Defence Medical Welfare Service, which provides practical and emotional support to members of the Armed Forces community on a health treatment pathway; the Warrior Programme, which offers mental strength and resilience training to those affected by stress and anxiety; and the Army Welfare Service, which provides community support through various initiatives.

One example of an activity providing this support is Out of School Adventures, which offers high-quality activities for children and young people during school holidays, promoting wellbeing and addressing social isolation.

Speaking about the contributions, Tom Dalby, CEO at Defence Discount Service, said:

"We are thrilled to be able to support these important initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of military personnel and their families,"

“From the very beginning, we have been dedicated to supporting the members of our Armed Forces community who have served both domestically and internationally. As a result, we consistently strive to allocate a portion of our revenue towards this cause, making a meaningful impact on the lives of those who serve our country."

The Army Central Fund secretary, LT Col Julian Panton, said:

“We continue to be extremely grateful to Defence Discount Service and its members for the generous donations we have received over recent years. This financial backing enables us to fund dedicated, practical and immediate support for the Army community and help to change individual lives for the better.”

Royal Air Force Central Fund Operations Manager, Karen Hansford, said:

“Thanks to the invaluable donation from the Defence Discount Service and our partnerships with health and fitness providers, the RAF Central Fund is able to provide more opportunities for serving personnel to access sports and physical activities. With the help of the fund, thousands of personnel have trained and participated in hundreds of sports and physical activities at all levels, improving their mental health and wellbeing.”

Tom Dalby continues: “We are honoured to support all of these projects and look forward to seeing the positive impact of these initiatives on the wellbeing of military personnel.”

Defence Discount Service enables its members to access savings on a variety of items such as holidays, cars, days out, fashion, electronics and more for free through its website. The veteran community makes up approximately 3.8% of the UK population.

To give members access to discounts at shops, restaurants, and venues, a Defence Privilege Card can be purchased for £4.99, and is valid for five years. The card is available to Armed Forces personnel, veterans, military spouses and members of the defence community. With a wide range of offers, including discounts on holidays, cars, days out, fashion, gifts, insurance and tech, members can also sign up for free online to access hundreds of digital deals.

For more information on eligibility and the discounts available, visit www.defencediscountservice.co.uk

Brunei: BFB Charity Lunch @ Cookhouse Tukerlines - Tuesday, 30th May 2023 at 1200 - 1400 hrs

1RGR, HQ (Burma) Coy is organizing BFB Charity Lunch on Tue, 30 May 23 to raise funds for the RGR Trust. All BFB members including dependants and Civ staff are invited.

NAAFI Fund - Round 4 Now Open for Applications

Follow the link on how to apply - Round 4 - Now Open - NAAFI

Aurora New Dawn job opportunity with the Armed Forces - remote working

Job opportunity with Aurora New Dawn:

Domestic Abuse Advocate, Armed Forces (Foreign & Commonwealth).

Please see further details: Domestic Abuse Advocate - Armed Forces (Foreign & Commonwealth), Portsmouth, Hampshire - Forces Families Jobs

Travel Information For BFB Community

2 RGR A Company has put together some travel information for BFB community. 

Click here to take a look

Commonwealth War Graves (CWG) Week 20-28 May 2023

This War Graves Week, we're bringing events to more locations than ever before.

Follow the link to find out what's happening in your area, until the 28th May:​ https://www.cwgc.org/war-graves-week/events-tours-and-talks/​

Step Together 'Armed Forces Community Programme'

Step Together run an 'Armed Forces Community Programme' supporting Personnel on Recovery Duty (PRD), Veterans and their families across the UK to make significant change in their lives. This is through one-to-one support and active engagement in the local community as a part of their recovery and resettlement.

Click HERE for more information

Vacancy for Personal Assistant (PA) – Field Services, British Gas

Togetherall Military Group

If you need somewhere to share how you’re feeling, @Togetherall has a dedicated group for the military community to connect, share experiences and support each other. The military community has access to the Togetherall peer support community, wherever they are, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.​

Togetherall is FREE to anyone in the UK Military, Veterans & Family members aged 16+ visit togetherall.com to register.

Guidance on Service Pupil Premium - Updated 19 May

 Updated guidance on the Service Pupil Premium is now on Gov.uk at this link: Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Brunei: PCMF - Health Promotion Cervical Cancer 2023

Serve and Protect Credit Union: Social Media Competition - May 2023

Serve and Protect CU are running a social media competition to win a £250 Virgin Experience Days voucher!

All participants need to do is follow the three steps outlined in our competition post. Participants can enter on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to increase their chances of winning.

​One lucky winner will be selected at random from one platform. The competition ends at 23:59 on Wednesday 31st May.

Facebook post

Instagram post

Twitter post

Brunei: Live Music with Hayley Hammond in Chautari - 19th May

Kids eat out for less this May half-term!

 Kids Eat Out For Less May 2023 | Day Out With The Kids

Mental Health Awareness Week starts today

All this week we want to talk about anxiety and the things that can help.

Find out more about the week and how you can get involved here: Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 | Mental Health Foundation

Tax Credits are ending and are being replaced by Universal Credit - claimants will be notified when they have to reclaim

Migration notices will be issued to all Tax Credit claimants over the next two years. Claimants will need to take action to ensure their benefits do not stop.

For further information please click here​

Brunei: PCMF - Health Promotion Newsletter - May

Month of May – Mental Wellbeing

World health organisation states that, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with stresses of daily life, their ability to learn and work well.

It is experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress; and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes. MH may include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well. It may also include significant distress, impairment in functioning or risk of self-harm. This is why it is so important to look after your mental health and of others to protect the community.

There are various types of mental health issues but within the BFB community, lets focus on anxiety and depression as these are the common ones.

Anxiety

Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid – particularly about things that are about to happen, or which we think could happen in the future.

Anxiety is a natural human response when we feel that we are under threat. It can be experienced through our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.

Depression

Depression is a mental health problem that involves having a low mood or losing interest and enjoyment in things. The symptoms you experience may vary, for example; how intense they are, how long they last, and how much they affect your daily life can also vary.

If you experience milder depression, you might have low mood but still be able to carry on with your daily life.

If you think you have any issues with mental health, please contact PCMF where we provide free and strictly confidential services, where we can direct you to the appropriate individual who will be able to help you.

Please visit these websites if you want to know more about different and wider mental health issues and treatments available online:

Mental wellbeing - Mind

Mental health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

For army personal - Mental health support for the UK armed forces - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Service Community Information on Universal Credit and Other DWP Benefits

Free financial webinars from Serve and Protect Credit Union

Click here for details of upcoming free webinars around financial resilience, cost of living support, budgeting and borrowing.

Two popular Covenant Fund programmes now open for applications

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (The Trust) are pleased to announce the relaunch of both the Force for Change and Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programmes.

Both of these programmes have proven popular in previous years.

Small grants which have a big local impact

The Force for Change programme will now offer grants up to £15,000 for one-year projects. This is in recognition of the increased cost of living, and funding will focus on vulnerable Armed Forces communities that are being most impacted.

Force for Change seeks to make positive change at a local level, especially needs which perhaps haven’t been addressed before. Thinking of applying? The Trust encourage you to try new ways of supporting your beneficiaries, or to build on previous work, to make a real difference to the Armed Forces communities with whom you work.

There will be two application deadlines this year: 17 July 2023 and 13 December 2023.

Addressing hidden and compelling needs in Armed Forces communities

Following a successful first year, the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme will offer grants up to £100,000 for three-year projects.

This programme supports projects that clearly address hidden or compelling needs identified in Armed Forces communities. This year, the Trust will focus on projects that target those more vulnerable Armed Forces communities that are most impacted by cost-of-living challenges.

Applications should be clear about the evidence of why their project is needed. The Trust are particularly keen to see that those who will benefit from your project have been able to shape how it will be delivered.

This programme was highly oversubscribed in 2022/23 and the Trust expect to receive high volumes of applications in the coming year.

This programme will also have two deadlines this year: 3 July 2023 and 13 November 2023.

Sonia Howe, Policy and Communications Director at the Trust, adds: “Cost of living challenges are a continuing theme we’re encountering when listening to our community and learning more about their needs. That’s why we’re keen to focus on ensuring our grant making under both of these Covenant Fund programmes will address these challenges and improve the lives of those who are part of our Armed Forces communities. We hope the increase in grant amount to £15,000 for Force for Change applications will allow for even better positive outcomes from those we are able to support.”

You can find more information about each programme and how to apply on their website www.covenantfund.org.uk.

Keep up to date with funding opportunities

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

Huggable Heroes

https://huggableheroes.uk/​

Young Minds: Support for Parents

We know parenting isn’t always easy. Although it’s often amazing and rewarding to watch your children grow up, and to help them learn to be independent, it can also be really hard work. It can feel especially hard if your child's mood and behaviour seem different and you're not sure why, or what you can do to help.

​We have lots of practical advice and tips on supporting your child​.

Click HERE​ for further information

Brunei: BFB Ladies Badminton Competition 17th May 2023 @9am

Outline of the Event

Entries. All the BFB badminton players/ladies entering the Garrison Badminton Competition are requested to submit their individual entry to individual company CSM/SSM by 05 May 2023.

Event. There will be two pair double, and one best singles participant from each company, Garrison and BHQ.

a. BFB Ladies doubles 2 teams

b. BFB Ladies singles 1 team

Rules. Participants must read Badminton World Federation (BWF) basic rules. link

Prize. Prize giving ceremony will be at the end of the event.

Good Luck!

Brunei: King's Coronation BBQ & Pool Party - Saturday 6th May 4 - 11 pm @ Patio Bar

Brunei: Community Beach Clean - Friday 5th May 1700 - 1800 hrs @ Billionth Barrel

Armed Forces Pension Scheme: Retrospective Remedy Public Consultation

The MOD public consultation is open until 29th May 2023 and views are encouraged from affected* Serving Personnel and Veterans. The consultation can be found here.

The consultation provides an explanation of the remedy policies and the legislation which are required to be in place by 1 October 2023 to deliver the 2015 Remedy.

A recording of the consultation member briefings that took place throughout March 23 is available on YouTube and is complimented by an additional recording on Divorce and Dissolution of Civil Partnerships & Rejoiners also available via YouTube.

​For more information on the 2015 remedy, please visit Gov.uk or the 2015 Remedy on Defence Connect Page.

*potentially Armed Forces pension scheme members who were in Service both on or before 31 March 2012 and on or ​after 1 April 2015, with any break in service of less than 5 years.

Defence Connect (Defcon) – Defence Accommodation Policy

Our Defcon page will be external from 1 May 2023 giving access to family members and partners as well as Service personnel.

Over the course of the next year, we will update the page with the latest information and announcements on Defence Accommodation Policy.

Each member will receive a push notification email when announcements and changes are made to the page.

How to sign up:

* Click the link -

MS Form - Defence Accommodation Policy Defence Connect Page Application Form

Sway Link - Defence Accommodation Policy External Defence Connect Page (office.com)

* Complete the MS Form/ Sway Link

* Click the link on your confirmation email

Once members receive access to the Defcon page, they can opt to download the JIVE app to access defence connect.

The MOD Guide for Service Personnel 'Flexible Working and You'

The MOD Guide for Service Personnel, 'Flexible Working and You' was updated on 28 Apr 23. Please click HERE​ to access the new version

Brunei: Update on NEPALESE PASSPORT RENEWAL

UPDATE ON NEPALESE PASSPORT RENEWAL

1. NO service personnel will be travelling to KL for passport renewal from now on. Embassy staff will be coming to Brunei to facilitate the application process. Therefore, to aid the process, accurate stat is needed.

2. Please find this link or below QR code to the form that is intended to collect data of personnel including their dependants who will require Nepalese passport renewal.

a. The target group are Service Personnel and their dependant(s) with:

(1) Passport expiry before 30 Jun 2024, or

(2) Passport with less than six pages left (both sides)

Self-employment discovery: 3 day free virtual course for military spouses and partners - starting 8th June 2023

Help for Households and Cost of Living Payments

QR codes should be scanned from a personal non-MOD device only

Please click the following link for further information: Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)