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20 Aug 25. Armed Forces community invited to Free Chepstow Military Race Day 2025. Free tickets are now available for this year’s Chepstow Military Race Day, taking place on Wednesday 5 November 2025 in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. A highlight in the Welsh racing calendar since 2013, the event brings together the Armed Forces community, supports and racegoers for a day of sport and fundraising.
Founded by Julian Nettlefold, publisher of BATTLESPACE and Chepstow Events, the Chepstow Military Race Day has raised over £400,000 for charity. Proceeds have helped SSAFA continue its life changing work supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families. This year’s programme includes the first Chepstow Military Drone Raceday on Tuesday 4 November, hosted in association with the British Army Drone Sport Association. The day will feature drone racing and live C-UAS demonstrations (subject to safety clearance). Entry is free for all 5 November race day ticket holders.
Chepstow Racecourse will once again offer free entry to all past and present military personnel.
Julian Nettlefold, event founder, said: “We’re delighted to announce the inaugural Chepstow Military Drone Raceday on November 4 in association with the British Army Drone Sport Association. Subject to the safety case, we hope to have a number of close combat shotgun and rifle Counter-UAS systems displayed live. This builds on the success of the Military Raceday and continues to support SSAFA, The Royal Hospital Chelsea and Combat Stress.”
More information is available at: www.chepstow-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/military-raceday-2025
18 Aug 25. Terminally ill veteran’s benefits stopped by Department for Work and Pensions. CEO of Fighting With Pride on terminally ill veteran’s benefits stopped. Veterans awarded compensation under a government reparations scheme have seen their benefits wrongly stopped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), according to a charity. Fighting With Pride, which supports LGBT veterans, says three of its members – including one who is terminally ill – have been affected since May. Under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme, payouts are meant to be ringfenced from assessment by the DWP and HM Revenue and Customs, meaning benefit entitlements should not be affected. Talking exclusively to BFBS Forces News, Fighting With Pride’s chief executive Peter Gibson said the minister responsible needs to “get a grip.”
“What needs to happen is somebody – the minister – inside the DWP needs to get a grip and make sure people in his department are not stopping veterans’ benefits,” Mr Gibson said.
He explained that incidents involving benefits being stopped first occurred in May. That case, which involved a terminally ill person, was rectified and the department gave assurances it would not happen again. However, Mr Gibson said that last week his organisation was alerted to two further instances in which benefits were stopped — which he described as “just not right.”
“What’s happened in the last few weeks is as these sums or reparations have arrived with individuals, the DWP has then stopped their entitlement to benefits.
“That’s just not right. This scheme, these monies, [veterans] are entitled to them without any deduction from their benefits. It’s ringfenced from consideration by DWP, and it’s ringfenced from consideration by HMRC.
“It’s just not right and it needs sorting out now,” Mr Gibson said.
The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme was announced by the government in December 2024 and is one of the key recommendations made by the judge-led inquiry into the experiences and treatment of LGBT people in Britain’s Armed Forces before the year 2000. Veteran explains why he won’t be wearing new Etherton Ribbon yet That inquiry, led by the late Lord Etherton, resulted in then-prime minister Rishi Sunak apologising on behalf of the state to all who had been impacted by the ban on LGBT people serving in the military. Since its launch, the scheme has faced criticism over delays in issuing payments. In July, Veterans Minister Al Carns announced he was increasing the number of staff working on the scheme and that the Office for Veterans’ Affairs was introducing a new automated payment system “to eliminate processing delays and administrative bottlenecks”. Mr Gibson said his organisation has received a high volume of phone calls and emails from veterans about the scheme since it was announced, adding that this latest problem will do nothing to ease concerns.
He said: “This just increases people’s anxiety.
“I can tell you from the correspondence we are getting, there is real anguish about how this scheme is being delivered. And every time something is a misstep for one or two veterans, it causes angst, anxiety and real unrest for those other veterans who are still waiting for their money to come through.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We are deeply proud of our veterans, and the contribution they make to our country. Compensation payments from the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme should not affect the amount of means-tested benefits. We have issued guidance to staff and are working closely with stakeholder groups to make sure DWP customers are aware of the rules.” (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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