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Welcome to our March Newsletter

February has already been busy with momentum as we build on the success of our Female Veterans Toolkit launch at the end of last year. Following such a positive response, the team have been busy developing a series of training and education sessions designed to help organisations and professionals make the very best use of the Toolkit in practice.

We’re especially excited now we have launched our new Lunch and Learn online sessions. These sessions will provide practical guidance, shared learning, and an opportunity to explore how the Toolkit can support understanding and outcomes for female veterans. We’re looking forward to welcoming many of you over the coming months.

Alongside this, the team have been out and about promoting the Toolkit, meeting partners, and continuing to raise awareness in support of female veterans. It has been fantastic to see the growing interest and commitment to ensuring female veterans receive the recognition and tailored support they deserve.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who continues to champion our work, engage with our updates, and help us amplify the conversation. Your ongoing support makes a real difference.

We’re pleased to announce our online Lunch and Learn sessions are now underway with our first session completed last week with positive attendance and feedback.

As valued stakeholders and critical friends who played an important role in shaping the Female Veterans Toolkit, we wanted you to be among the first to hear about these sessions and to personally invite you to join us. By now, you may well be familiar with the Toolkit and the ways it can support both your organisation and the veterans you work with (and, as we know, much of the guidance is equally relevant to men who have served). However, we are keen to ask: is everyone in a veteran-facing role within your organisation aware of the Toolkit and how to use it effectively?  

These Lunch & Learns are designed for organisations supporting women from the Armed Forces community. Whether working within the NHS / healthcare, military charities, civilian charities, or as employers, many organisations are engaging with women who have served, even when that service is not always visible.

We recognise that the Toolkit contains a significant amount of information and that time is limited. These focused, one-hour sessions are designed to help participants:

• Better understand where female veterans’ experiences and risk factors can differ from male veterans and civilian women

• Navigate the Toolkit confidently and use it effectively in practice

• Reflect on organisational (or individual) practice, with or without the support of our self-assessment tool

Spaces are limited, and registration details can be found via the link below.

Female Veterans Toolkit Lunch And Learn – Fill in form

In addition, we would be very happy to discuss offering a bespoke session for you and your teams; a deeper dive into the Toolkit, its development, and how it can best support your specific context. If this would be of interest, please do get in touch via email and we can explore what would be most helpful.

Thank you again for your continued support and for the invaluable role you played in shaping this work. We hope you can join us at one of the sessions

Download our Toolkit using the below link.

Supporting Female Veterans : Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

Email our Project Officer for enquirers regarding bespoke training.

rialuke@fvtp.org.uk

This month, we’re proud to spotlight a female veteran who is making a powerful difference beyond service through her business, Lights On Counselling — a dedicated safe space supporting veterans’ mental health.

Drawing on lived experience as a Military Veteran, registered Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor, and Mental Health Controller with West Midlands Ambulance Service, Heidi’s work uniquely bridges military experience with professional therapeutic practice. Heidi understands first-hand that when the uniform comes off, the conditioning, responsibilities, and pressures of service do not simply disappear.

Through an integrative approach ,combining person-centred, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural, and trauma-informed therapies, tailoring support to the individual rather than applying a one size fits all model. Recognising the nervous system’s role in trauma, this also incorporates approaches such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Rewind Therapy, helping veterans process distressing memories without repeatedly reliving them.

Importantly, her practice acknowledges one of the greatest barriers veterans face: reaching out. In a culture that creates resilience and self reliance, asking for help can feel uncomfortable. Lights On Counselling provides a confidential, non-judgemental space where strength is respected and vulnerability is safe.

By establishing her own private practice, not only delivering vital mental health support but also championing female veterans in business after service demonstrating leadership, innovation, and compassion in equal measure. Heidi’s message is clear that seeking support is not a failure of strength, but an extension of it.

For further insight and information please use the below link.

https://lightsoncounselling.co.uk/

This month we’re proud to highlight four inspiring women with RAF connections who have reunited to represent Great Britain in the FIMBA Over-60s Women’s Basketball Team: Flynn Reid, Dee Street Brown, Wendy Murray and Lesley O’Hanlon. What began more than 40 years ago on RAF courts has come full circle, as former WRAF teammates reconnect through their shared commitment to the game.

Flynn, Lesley and Wendy first played together during their RAF service, where teamwork, discipline and resilience were part of everyday life. Dee, whose RAF sporting background spanned multiple disciplines, brings her own wealth of experience to the squad. Together, they reflect the very best of veteran sport leadership, adaptability and a strong team ethos.

Now preparing for the 2026 European Championships in Athens, they are demonstrating that competitive ambition does not diminish with age. Flynn continues to support the squad in a management role, while Lesley and Wendy remain active on court, and Dee’s Masters journey stands as a testament to grit and determination.

Just as importantly, they are helping to foster an inclusive and supportive space for women over 60 in sport ,challenging perceptions and widening representation for older female athletes. Their journey is about more than tournaments. It reflects lasting friendships forged through service, the value of staying active, and the confidence that comes from rediscovering purpose through sport.

Four decades on, the camaraderie is still strong and their story is a powerful reminder that it is never too late to lace up your trainers and begin a new chapter.

Follow the team and Masters basketball updates:
• FIMBA GB on Instagram: @fimba_greatbritain2024 and @fimbagbofficial (via their official site)
• Find FIMBA GB on Facebook, Instagram: @fimba_greatbritain2024 and @fimbagbofficial

This article also features on our website using the below link.

Blog — Female Veterans' Transformation Programme

If you’d like to stay up to date with fixtures and stories from across the Masters basketball community, these channels are great places to follow these incredible Female Veterans.

We’re pleased to share an opportunity to contribute to important research exploring the link between women’s mental health and acquired brain injury (ABI). This study is seeking women aged 18 and over who have previously sustained a head injury, including ABI or stroke. A prior mental health diagnosis is not required to take part.

Participants are invited to complete a 30–45 minute survey sharing their experiences of ABI and mental health. Research like this plays a vital role in strengthening understanding, improving services, and ensuring women’s experiences are better recognised and represented.

If you feel able to contribute, please see the attached flyer for full details, including the survey link and researcher contact information. Your voice could help shape future support and awareness.

Don’t forget to take a look at further research that maybe of interest.

Research — Female Veterans' Transformation Programme