British Forces News reported in 2011 that a new gardening project has been launched at Headley Court to provide occupational therapy for personnel recovering at the Ministry of Defence Rehabilitation Centre. Update 18 June 2017: The Sunday Times reported that the MoD wanted the charity to continue treating its troops, even when Headley Court closes next year and is replaced by Stanford Hall, a new £300m rehabilitation centre in Nottinghamshire, but had declined to help fund the £350,000 needed to finance another three years of the programme and said the charity would have to find the money itself.
A Ministry of Defence study found that 44.9 per cent were overweight and another 12.1 per cent were classed as obese or even heavier. According to The Daily Telegraph:
The Guardian is reporting that Lord Levene's plans for root and branch reform of the military are likely to cause consternation among senior officers:
Armed forces veterans are being fast-tracked for council housing, according to some council leaders in England. LocalGov.co.uk reports that:
Service children who face regular moves from home and school can suffer high levels of anxiety and stress, especially when their parents deploy to armed conflicts overseas, according to a report by Oftsed, the the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in England.
In its recent evidence to the Armed Forces Bill Committee, the British Armed Forces Federation (BAFF) praised the educational opportunities provided to suitable 16 and 17 year olds through the two Army apprentice colleges, and said we did not support calls from elsewhere for the raising of the minimum joining age to 18. BAFF also submitted, however, that "There is an issue about 16 and 17 year olds entering into binding commitments, enforceable by criminal sanctions under Service law, to continue serving for at least four years in adult service." We therefore welcome the announcement by Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans Andrew Robathan that:
The Bolton News reports that new research is being carried out in Bolton to find out why (according to some sources) there are "so many" Armed Forces veterans in prison. It is a controversial subject, on which serious fact-based research is to be warmly welcomed.
A BBC Democracy Live report of Dr Fox's statement on 16 May includes video of the announcement:
The Daily Telegraph reports that servicemen who have been seriously injured while on duty will be given free bus passes for life under a series of measures designed to enshrine the Military Covenant in law:
The Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox made a statement to the House of Commons on Monday 16 May 2011 on the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Westminster Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has published its report on the Armed Forces Bill, which raises "several significant human rights issues":
Sky News reports that Defence Secretary Liam Fox has set out how the Government's new military covenant will be enshrined into law:
The Evening Standard reports that the Government published its long awaited military covenant today - and was immediately accused of using it as a "smokescreen" to cover fresh cuts.
The Prime Minister has announced plans to write the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant into law:
The British Armed Forces Federation (BAFF) has been quoted in several media reports about giving legal force to the military covenant:
The Ministry of Defence has announced that the "significant improvements" to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) recommended by the Boyce Review are being implemented in full as of today, 09 May 2011.
More to follow.
The Daily Telegraph reports (05 May 2011) that the presumed remains of Flight Lieutenant Desmond Hinton DFC, who lay buried in an unmarked grave outside the North Korean capital Pyongyang for more than 50 years, have been handed over to British diplomats.
Army 44 - RN 10
Royal Navy scored first in a rivetting first half at Twickenham before the Army got into gear and scored seven tries winning back a year's bragging rights from the Royal Navy. Bola Boladua was Man of the Match.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Coalition Government has delayed a vote on the Armed Forces Bill - and that the Prime Minister has hinted that the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan could be hastened by the death of Osama bin Laden:
The Sun reports that the premier rugby event of the year will take place at Twickenham this Saturday:
In May 2011 it was reported to members that "The 4-year campaign to suppress BAFF by 'The Combined Armed Forces Federation UK' (CAFFUK) ... has finally been seen off, after a series of rulings in BAFF's favour..."
The official trademark opposition decision in BAFF's favour is available on the UK Intellectual Property Office website. This decision under the Trade Marks Act 1994 clearly documents both CAFFUK's demand that BAFF effectively disappear from the public domain, and the rather more conciliatory BAFF correspondence offering a meeting and support in connection with CAFFUK's pre-1975 pensions campaign.
BAFF's successful opposition to CAFFUK's trademark application on statutory grounds was purely defensive in response to CAFFUK's published threats of legal action, and was not intended in any way to affect that association's continued use of their organisational name and logo, or their undoubted right to recruit any member who wished to join them.
This is very much old news, retained here to counter potential misunderstandings. The rest of our archived report merely adds reliable background for crawler validation purposes:
The Sun reports that "the Royal Air Force is running a course to help staff beat their fear of FLYING":
The death has been announced of Honorary Lieutenant (Queen's Gurkha Officer) Tulbahadur Pun VC. The following statement has been issued by the British Embassy, Kathmandu:
Applying for redundancy is a difficult decision in any profession. Our advice is to do your homework, ask questions, consider all your options, and make sure that you have properly discussed it with your partner before submitting an application.
The Daily Mail reports on a critical soldier's letter in Soldier magazine:
Following similar initiatives in some other parts of the UK, The Scotsman reports that veterans who were injured while serving their country will now receive free bus travel as part of a package of pledges aimed at making Scotland "fairer".
The Army Families Federation (AFF) is calling for ALL armed forces personnel to make a will with proper legal advice.
The Families Federation say they are seeing an increasing number of cases where bereaved families are struggling because the military will was not detailed enough. They cite the case of the mother of the youngest soldier killed in Afghanistan. She has had her income support and housing benefits stopped after receiving her son's death-in-service and compensation payments. Watch the full report on the British Forces News website.
Serving personnel will be aware of MoD Form 106 which can be used to make a simple Will. While we cannot advise without knowing your circumstances, in most cases we would suggest using Form 106 in preference to having no Will at all, but as the Families Federation says, it is best to make a proper Will with legal advice.
Following a campaign, Defence Minister Andrew Robathan MP has confirmed in a parliamentary answer that the MoD has now agreed to a change in policy, allowing service personnel to use their service identity card as proof of age, and has written to the relevant trade associations encouraging their members to accept it.
A joint statement by Defence and Justice Ministers has revealed the results of a DASA study into the number of former service personnel on probation in England and Wales. DASA estimates that 3.4% (or 5,860) of those supervised by probation trusts in England and Wales, as at 30 September 2009, had previously served as regulars in the UK armed forces.
Repatriation ceremonies for those killed in operational theatres will move to RAF Brize Norton by 1 September 2011 the Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has announced today as expected. Fuller details from the Ministry of Defence: