Sponsored by SSAFA
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09 Jul 24. Spectra Group renews their Silver Sponsorship of Team Forces.
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, a specialist provider of secure voice, data and satellite communications systems, is extremely pleased to announce renewal of their Silver Sponsorship for Team Forces this year and is very proud to be supporting British Forces sport and adventure training through this excellent organisation.
Spectra Group’s support to Team Forces, and such extreme endeavours as expedition Frozen Dagger, forms a fundamental part of Spectra’s UK MoD social responsibility plan, through which they give back to the wider customer community across UK defence. Sport and adventure training is a key component of service life generating teamwork, leadership skills and personal challenge but the funding of some elements can often be difficult to secure. Through their Silver Sponsorship, Spectra Group enables wider participation and increased quality of key sporting events directly supporting those taking part.
Team Forces is an MoD endorsed programme which improves the lived experience for the armed forces community through the power of sport, challenge and adventure. Their initiatives improve health, wellbeing and recovery of service individuals by promoting excellence, equality and inclusion. Team Forces conducts fundraising, attracts sponsorship and makes financial grants to increase the accessibility of such activities.
In particular, Spectra Group have sponsored the Armed Forces Equine Charity to make equine sport and recreation more affordable and accessible to the military community. For example, last year over 19,000 people enjoyed equine activities, at all levels, at their Armed Forces Equestrian Centres. They also supported 424 Wounded Injured and Sick (WIS) serving members to access horse riding and provided critical support to over 50 highly vulnerable veterans who had isolated themselves and were at high risk. In addition, their contribution to the Ulysees Trust, a charity which provides funding assistance to challenging expeditions and activities involving members of the Volunteer Reserve Forces and Cadet Forces of the UK, supported some of the 80+ adventurous training activities. In a significant expansion from 2022, last year over half the cadet expeditions took place overseas; including Canada, South Africa, Borneo, Norway and the USA.
Major General Lamont Kirkland, CEO at Team Forces said: “We are delighted that Spectra Group has renewed as a Silver level sponsor. Their long-standing support of Team Forces demonstrates Spectra Group’s significant and ongoing commitment to the armed forces community. Through their membership Spectra Group will help us deliver social impact through sport, challenge and adventure – together we will help the best get better!”
Simon Davies, CEO of Spectra Group said: “As a veteran myself, and with many veterans employed by Spectra Group, I am proud to announce our continued Silver Sponsorship of Team Forces to best support those still serving and have the opportunity to give back. Our ethos at Spectra Group is to design communication products that are focused on solving the problems that front line soldiers face, and so, to also support members of the armed forces community to have greater access to sport, challenge and adventure is a real privilege.”
09 Jul 24. Help for Heroes disappointed as no dedicated Cabinet-level veterans’ minister appointed.
The Government will not be appointing a dedicated veterans’ minister to the Cabinet, Downing Street has confirmed.
During Rishi Sunak’s Conservative administration, then-minister for veterans’ affairs Johnny Mercer attended Cabinet meetings to speak on behalf of former personnel.
Labour has decided that Defence Secretary John Healey will represent veterans at Cabinet rather than a dedicated minister, a decision which left Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes “disappointed”.
A Government spokesperson said: “Ministerial portfolios will be set out in due course – appointments are still ongoing.
“But first and foremost, the Defence Secretary will represent veterans at Cabinet.
“Our veterans are part of our military family and the Secretary of State will drive work with Cabinet colleagues to deliver for them.
“We are determined to change how we do government, stopping silos and working collaboratively across departments to serve the public and veterans.”
‘Disappointed’
Help for Heroes CEO James Needham said: “While we are disappointed there isn’t a dedicated veterans’ minister in Keir Starmer’s cabinet, we hope John Healey and his team will continue to work with Help for Heroes and other charities to deliver the support our Armed Forces community deserves.
“We will continue to campaign for a review of the medical discharge process and end the barriers to fair compensation and benefits for veterans.
“We receive consistent testimony from those we support that these processes are not fair or working properly, and many would be shocked by the way in which our service people and their families are treated.”
‘RBL will seek reassurances’
Forces charity Royal British Legion (RBL) wished the new PM well as he entered office, while reiterating its commitment to working with the new Government to advocate for the Armed Forces community.
(Source: forces.net)
08 Jul 24. Hope for veterans as MOD accepts responsibility for personnel’s hearing loss. The agreement, with law firm Hugh James, sees the MOD no longer disputes that it owes a duty of care to personnel who suffered hearing loss while serving their country
The Ministry of Defence has accepted responsibility for the hearing loss suffered by military personnel, offering hope to others affected.
Until today the MOD opposed many hearing loss claims made by veterans arguing that other sources of noise were to blame, that individuals should have worn protection, or that their claims were too late.
But in a major breakthrough for thousands of military veterans seeking compensation for hearing loss suffered during their service, the MOD, in agreement with Hugh James Solicitors, has accepted responsibility.
It comes after a case last year saw a former Royal Marine awarded almost £714,000 in compensation after hearing loss ended his military career.
James Barry’s case saw the High Court reject claims from the MOD that Mr Barry was partially responsible as he failed to use hearing protection.
In a statement, an MOD spokesperson said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our personnel seriously and always look at how we can reduce noise levels in their working environment.
“This is alongside providing training, protective equipment and regular hearing tests to detect any early signs of hearing loss so action can be taken if necessary.
“We have reached an agreement with Hugh James Solicitors on how to progress a cohort of historic noise induced hearing loss claims, which has been accepted by the Court.”
The agreement, with law firm Hugh James, sees the MOD no longer disputing that it owes a duty of care to personnel who suffered hearing loss while serving their country.
Clients of the law firm will now only have to prove that any hearing loss was sustained during their time in the military.
Simon Ellis from Hugh James said: “This is a groundbreaking development for servicemen and women seeking justice for their hearing loss.
“Many military personnel suffered hearing loss that was entirely preventable, had they been provided with the correct equipment and training.
“As a result, individuals have had their careers prematurely ended, other employment opportunities denied to them, and their personal lives irrevocably changed.
“People who put their lives on the line in the service of our country should expect that they are not put in additional unnecessary danger by their employer.
“The Ministry of Defence has both acknowledged the duty of care that it owes military personnel to protect their hearing and agreed that all individuals discharged after 1987 can secure the compensation they are entitled to for any hearing loss resulting from their military service.”
One former Royal Marine said the MOD accepting responsibility for his hearing loss provided a “glimmer of hope” in his legal fight for compensation.
Robert ‘Barney’ Barnett was medically discharged from the military in 2014 after an 18-year career, which saw him serve on three tours of Afghanistan and two of Iraq.
He is now one of the thousands hoping to receive compensation for noise-induced hearing loss, having launched legal action against the MOD in 2016.
He has never been able to afford the hearing aids he needed after suffering around a 20% loss of hearing in each ear, describing the legal process as “slow” and “frustrating”.
“It gives me a glimmer of hope. Not just me, I hope nobody has to go through what I have. It’s speeding up the process,” he said.
“The people who don’t have a good support network, this injection of cash, whatever that will be, whatever level, for some people that will mean the world, to not have to go through this lengthy legal battle.
“The reason I am doing this is to spread the message far and wide.
“We found in the veteran community and the services, sometimes things are kept need-to-know, so the hope of doing this is that the message is spread far and wide, and there is hope.
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get, so it is worth at least ringing, texting, or sending an email just to make an initial inquiry.”
Several cases will go to trial next year to determine the level of compensation veterans should receive. (Source: forces.net)
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SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2020, our teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, the currently serving (both regulars and reserves), veterans from the Second World War and those who have served in more recent conflicts, as well as their families. SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us.
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/about-us
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us
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