Hello Subscriber First Name

Welcome to our March newsletter! Thank you to everyone for your amazing response to this programme. We are so grateful for your input so far, and look forward to further collaboration whilst we design our toolkit. Whether you're a female veteran, service provider or employer, please get in touch if there is anything we can do to help you. 

An update from the project

We are now moving into phase 3, where we will be developing the toolkit, ready for testing in the summer. The toolkit will be a quality improvement resource to help services look in detail at what they should be doing to make things better in the future. The toolkit will provide a holistic view of all areas of a female veterans’ experience including physical health, finance, employment, housing, mental health and sexually inappropriate behaviour, plus many others.

That’s my first two months gone, quick as a flash! It has involved a lot of reading, which in turn has created lots of ideas to contribute towards the development of our toolkit. I’m technically still in my ‘military transition’ phase – something that supposedly lasts for 2 years post-Service. As I reflect on the last 21 months since leaving the RAF, I saw the value in creating an Armed Forces Community Staff Network (otherwise known as an Employee Resource Group (ERG)) in my former role at the Royal British Legion.

It was great to find and talk to other veterans in the organisation and for it to become a bit of a safe space and sounding board. Moreover, being an armed forces charity, it meant that as a collective, we could raise awareness of what beneficiaries would have experienced, ensuring that RBL frontline staff were even more equipped and empathetic to understanding the complex needs of Service personnel, veterans, and their families. It also resulted in other departments running ideas by the network and seeking advice, ensuring that language on surveys was appropriate, clarifying medal, rank, or cap badge-related enquiries and putting together focus groups for research. 

If your workplace has an Armed Forces / Veteran Staff Network, please invite your Chair to undertake the short survey at this link: https://forms.office.com/e/eFpEgmSaqJ or by scanning the QR code above.

Female Veterans Toolkit Development Workshop

The main outcome of the FVTP is to produce a toolkit for the sector on how to better support female veterans. To do that we need your assistance; we want to bring together experts in any area of veteran support to help us build on what we have identified so far and on existing best practice to create the toolkit content.

We will be holding a Toolkit Workshop on:

Wednesday 9th April 

0930 to 1500

Royal British Legion's Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If you would like to attend, please complete this form with your details no later than 1700 on Friday 21st March: https://forms.office.com/e/s4NeyNSzv3

Places are limited and we endeavour to confirm your place by Wednesday 26th March latest.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch with Stacey staceydenyer@fvtp.org.uk 

RAF Benevolent Fund

‘For more than 100 years, the RAF Benevolent Fund has been supporting members of our RAF Family through thick and thin providing practical, emotional, and financial support whenever they need us.’

The RAF Benevolent Fund are offering a research opportunity to provide feedback on service and transition experience. To find more information follow the link or contact via the email above.

Sources - https://www.rafbf.org

Ria Jackson: SHE-EO of Inclusive Minds UK & RAF Veteran

After leaving the RAF, Ria’s journey unexpectedly led her through engineering, higher education, and ultimately to starting her own business. Along the way, she discovered she had ADHD and dyspraxia, which gave clarity to her unique approach to challenges. This journey became more meaningful with the birth of her neurodifferent child, who served as their motivation. As she connected with other veterans sharing similar experiences, she identified a need for a culture of inclusion for neurodifferent individuals.

This led to the creation of Inclusive Minds UK (IMUK), focused on fostering environments where people of all backgrounds and differences, including neurodivergence, can thrive. IMUK aims to go beyond basic inclusion by offering a foundation for success in schools, workplaces, and communities. Through IMHub, a platform designed to make neuroinclusion accessible to all organisations, the goal is to build a culture of belonging where everyone - neurodifferent or nto - can contribute and succeed. Inspired by military values of teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, the mission is to create lasting change that celebrates diversity and works with individual strengths. To learn more click here: https://www.inclusivemindsuk.com/

Ria explains her motivations:

“When I left the military, I never imagined the journey ahead would take me through engineering, higher education, and ultimately lead to launching my own business—but here we are!

Along the way, I discovered something that completely shifted my perspective: I’m neurodifferent. My ADHD and dyspraxia diagnoses provided the clarity I needed about why I’d always approached challenges in a way that felt a little… different.

But this journey isn’t just about me. My mini-me, who’s also neurodifferent, is a daily reminder of why this work matters so much. She’s my ultimate Why! On top of that, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of veterans reaching out to share their own stories of neurodifference.

It became clear to me: I had to do something bigger. There’s a real need to create a culture where everyone, including neurodifferent individuals, can truly feel like they belong.

That’s why I founded Inclusive Minds UK (IMUK)—to build something that goes beyond just ticking boxes for inclusion. I wanted to create a foundation where everyone, no matter their background or difference, can contribute in ways that suit them (just like in the military). Whether it’s in school, the workplace, or the community, IMUK is about making sure everyone has the chance to be their true selves and succeed.

With IMHub, we’re taking that mission a step further. It’s a platform that’s designed to make neuroinclusion accessible, affordable, and sustainable for ALL organisations. The goal isn’t just to support neurodifferent individuals but to build a culture where everyone can be part of the journey—whether you’re neurodifferent or not.

By drawing on the lessons I learned in the military—teamwork, leadership, and adapting to challenges—I realised that this isn’t just about creating another “ism.” It’s about fostering a culture of belonging (the foundation of military culture).

That’s why IMHub exists: to help organisations create environments where everyone can contribute, because of how they think and process the world around them not in spite of! It’s about working with our strengths! When we build these spaces together, we create lasting, meaningful change for everyone.

The support I’ve received from people—especially fellow veterans—has only strengthened my resolve. It’s clear that we can build a positive, powerful community where neuroinclusion isn’t just about acceptance, but celebration.”

LGBT+ Memorial

January 2025 marked 25 years since the lifting of the Armed Forces' gay ban. As well as restorative measures being available for those adversely impacted by the ban, a new memorial to honour LGBT+ veterans and serving personnel will be unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire this Summer. The design, created by the Abraxas Academy, features a crumpled bronze letter symbolising the mistreatment of LGBT+ service personnel, and includes words from their personal experiences. The project, supported by a £350,000 grant from the Ministry of Defence, is led by the charity Fighting With Pride. the memorial represents three of the 49 recommendations from Lord Etherton's Review, aiming to address historical injustices. The memorial emphasizes healing, reconciliation, and the ongoing efforts to ensure recognition for LGBT+ veterans, including a Financial Recognition Scheme. This progress reflects a societal shift towards inclusion, with the memorial serving as a space for reflection and celebration of the LGBT+ community’s journey in the armed forces.  

Were you or someone you know impacted by the ban between 1967 and 2000? If so, visit the following link for more details on reparations: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps 

Sources:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/design-selected-for-lgbt-armed-forces-community-memorial

https://www.fightingwithpride.org.uk/news/the-uks-first-memorial-for-lgbt-armed-forces-personnel-is-to-be-built-at-the-national-memorial-arboretum/

Our Programme Lead, Liza, was privileged to be invited by the Lothians Veterans Centre to their female veterans event at the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh at the start of February. It was great to be able to feedback about the progress of the programme and what we have done with the information gathered from the first female veterans event we attended in Scotland in the summer of 2024.

The event was really well attended with women from all 3 services and it was also great to hear from the Scottish Veterans Commissioner Susie Hamilton. Particular thanks go to Pauline Cherrington from LVC for organising such a great event and we look forward to continuing to work closely with female veterans and organisations in Scotland going forward.

British Forces Broadcasting Service

British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS)

Looking to upskill your team?

BFBS Academy provides personalised, adaptable, and relevant courses that will help you to upskill, develop, and continuously improve your team’s communications efforts. These are regularly updated according to current industry demands and conditions. We offer a hybrid model, with a mix of online and face-to-face delivery based on the course requirements and your availability. Courses can be personalised and cover a wide range of vocational training including:

1. Content and media production

2. Crisis communications

3. Media training

4. Digital communications

Looking for help with your communications?

BFBS Creative is an award-winning, non-profit creative agency that specializes in supporting Defence, government, and Armed Forces organisations. Their team of strategic communications specialists and industry experts has extensive experience in public sector communications. They offer services such as:

• Audience Insight: Helping you understand your stakeholders and tailor your message.

• End-to-End Campaign Delivery: From planning to execution, they’ll support every step.

• Communications Strategy Development: Expert advice to create impactful strategies.

Check out their blogposts for more advice, for example this post on how to keep your audience engaged with social media.

This month we are eager to signpost a few different research opportunities for female veterans if you want to get involved!

All the information you need can be found in the posters below.