Armed Forces charities for people with specific healthcare conditions:
Blesma
For veterans who have experienced life-changing limb loss, lost the use of a limb, or lost sight during service, as well as their families. Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, offers advice and support through their local support officers. Blesma also provides financial assistance to help with the additional costs of disability.
Contact Number – 020 8590 1124
Find out more about BlesmaBlind Veterans
For veterans who have experienced sight loss and their families. Blind Veterans offers community groups, rehabilitation and support with care as well as advice on their website.
Contact Number – 0800 389 7979
Find out more about Blind VeteransFor serving personnel, veterans and armed forces families:
Combat Stress
The charity Combat Stress provides self-help advice on their website. They offer mental health helplines for 24/7 confidential advice and support.
Contact Number – 0800 138 1619
Text on – 07537 173683
Email – helpline@combatstress.org.uk
Find out more about Combat StressDefence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS)
Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) provides practical and emotional support to military personnel, veterans, their families and other entitled civilians when they’re in hospital, rehabilitation or recovery centres.
Find out more about DMWSHelp for Heroes
For wounded, injured and sick serving personnel and veterans, and their families. The Help for Heroes charity provides physical,
psychological, financial and welfare support to wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and their families.
Op COURAGE: the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.
Contact Number – 020 3317 6818
Find out more about OP COURAGERoyal British Legion
The Royal British Legion gives advice and support on wellbeing on their website and through their community branches. For additional advice and support, the Royal British Legion also have an online chat and helpline that is open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.
Contact Number – 0808 802 8080
Find out more about Royal British LegionSSAFA
SSAFA provides lifelong emotional and practical support. To get support, call their helpline or use their online chat Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.30pm.
Contact Number – 0800 260 6767
Find out more about SSAFASTOLL
For veterans who struggle to live independently. Provides housing and support services to help veterans live independently.
Find out more about STOLLTogetherall
Togetherall is a mental health support service that provides anonymous, round-the-clock online support, with trained counsellors available at all times.
Find out more about TogetherallVeterans Gateway
For veterans and their families.
Veterans Gateway provides wellbeing support and advice on their website and with their 24/7 Live Chat, text messaging and helpline.
Helpline – 08088 021212
Text chat – 81212
Find out more about Veterans GatewayWalking with the Wounded
For veterans and their families.
Walking with the Wounded offers support services for a range of issues, such as mental health, employment, criminal justice and addiction. Their website offers information on how to be referred to their services.
Other charities:
Salute Her UK (Women’s armed forces charities)
For women veterans who are survivors of military sexual trauma and their families. Salute Her UK provides a support service which
offers mental health therapy and interventions for women survivors of military sexual trauma in a single sex environment.
Fighting with Pride (LGBT+ armed forces charities)
For LGBT+ serving personnel, veterans and their families.
Fighting with Pride advise on how to get help and provide information for LGBT+ members of the armed forces community.
Addiction Charities:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA is a free self-help network. Its “12-step” programme involves getting sober with the help of regular support groups.
Find out more about AASMART Recovery
SMART Recovery runs a network of self-help and mutual aid meetings where participants help themselves and fellow members with recovery from any kind of addictive behaviour.
Find out more about SMART Recovery