The Female Veteran

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Welcome to our December newsletter! Thank you to everyone for your amazing response to this programme. We are so grateful to everyone who has taken time to complete our questionnaire and have loved carrying on the conversation with you in our focus groups. Do get in touch if there is anything we can do to help you!

An update from us!

Over the last 3 months we have been really busy and continue to make good progress. We start with some sad news, our Comms and Engagement Officer, Hannah has now left and moved onto her new role, but she is staying involved with the programme (see her article below) which is great news. However we are so pleased to introduce Stacey Denyer who will start in January as the new Comms and Engagement Officer, she brings with her a raft of experience (see her article below) and we can’t wait for her to start.

In terms of the programme, the last 3 months have seen us complete the Consultation and Codesign phase and we have been busily analysing the data. We have heard from over 800 female veterans and there are some very clear messages of how things need to change and what we need to do to start the transformation of services, from raising awareness to better access and person centred provision. We are aiming to publish the report on this phase in January along with a ‘What Good Looks Like?’ checklist that can help services immediately understand how they can better support female veterans.

We have attended various conferences and events and continue to build our networks and links – although our favorite introduction had to be at the Armed Forces Covenant conference in Winchester – where we met the fantastic Baxter!!!

None of this would have been possible without the support of key colleagues and partners, we would like to say a particular thank you to The Female Veterans Alliance, The V Word, RBL, The Northern Ireland Veteran Commissioners Office, Northern Ireland serving and ex-serving women’s network (NISESWN), The Scottish Veterans Commissioner as well as all the fantastic women who have given their time and enthusiasm to the work we are trying to achieve together.

Lastly we would like to wish everyone who works with us and has supported us this year a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year.

Introducing our new team member

Introducing our new communications and engagement officer – Stacey Denyer.

Stacey joins us from the Royal British Legion where she worked as the Diversity and Inclusion Officer following 19 years’ service in the Royal Air Force.

Stacey was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2010, eventually leading to her medical discharge in 2023. She competed in the Invictus Games Dusseldorf in 2023, earning herself a bronze medal in indoor rowing. Stacey holds 11 British records in para indoor rowing and advocates for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) veteran and adaptive sports. Being a part of the Every Body Moves lived experience advisory board meant that Stacey was involved with ParalympicsGB behind the scenes, and was selected as a torchbearer for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Torch Relay.

We are excited to have Stacey working with us and she says she is ‘Passionate about all things veteran and excited to start work with the FVTP to make things better for our women’.

An update from Hannah

Hannah West, who has been working as the Communications and Engagement Officer for the Female Veterans Transformation Programme (FVTP) for the past year, has taken on a new position as a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Military Women’s Research and the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services at Anglia Ruskin University. This is an excellent opportunity for Hannah to return to her research on gender, war and the military and she is planning research projects exploring military cultures and behaviours, the experiences of female veterans in contemporary Northern Ireland and women’s military history.

Hannah has thoroughly enjoyed her time working towards transforming service provision for female veterans and is fortunate that the move to the Centre for Military Women’s Research, who have been a critical friend to the programme since its inception, means she can remain connected with this important work. In fact, under the umbrella of her new position, Hannah will continue working in a new role as Senior Programme Officer one day per week in a more strategic capacity supporting the development of resources and continuing stakeholder engagement.

That’s enough about us and our partners, what about you? We envisage this newsletter as championing the needs of female veterans and we want to use this space to showcase female veterans whether as authors, in history, the news and in research. Please get in touch if there is something you would like to share in a future edition. You can email FVTPOfficer@wraca.org.uk

We’d particularly like to hear from female veterans who would like to share a short feature about what they do post service whether that is volunteering, running a business or starting a new career (whether it is similar too what they did in service or completely different)!

Services spotlight!

The rise in the cost of living in recent years is affecting millions of people, including serving personnel and veterans. Over winter, the cost of heating our homes has a huge impact on finances, so to help ensure these difficulties are met with a swift and effective response, the WRAC Association formed a partnership with The Veterans Charity.

The partnership means that The Veterans Charity will assess and deliver immediate needs support on behalf of WRAC Association, with the Association covering the costs of support provided. Major (retd.) Monica Jones, Chair of the ATS & WRAC Benevolent Fund Grants Committee, explains, “The partnership means even more women who served in the Army can apply for rapid essential support during this period of economic hardship.”

The partnership is underwritten with a grant from the WRAC Association which The Veterans Charity will use to draw down funds for delivery of rapid support for essentials such as food shopping, utilities support, clothing, household items or communications devices and credit.

Danny Greeno, CEO of The Veterans Charity, adds, “Hardship is affecting many people and our support exists to deliver a rapid reaction to the most urgent needs, alleviating that hardship and the distress it can cause. We are extremely pleased to be working with the WRAC Association and providing support to female veterans. We have proudly supported many female veterans during the past 15 years, ensuring that women who served know that support is there for them, should they experience difficulties. Sadly, we are aware that many may not consider themselves entitled to support because they served for a short time due to the restrictions placed on women in the military in the past, but we want to encourage any woman who served to get in touch if they are facing financial difficulties”.

If you are in need of immediate assistance please do not hesitate to make contact with The Veterans Charity at veteranscharity.org.uk or contact 01271 371001. Requests for assistance with non urgent items or recurring grants should still be directed through SSAFA or RBL.

For other additional services providing the support, follow the link to the LinkedIn post which identifies those services providing support of the winter period.

In conversation with Natasha Mason

A-Level Drop out, Sailor, Sollicitor

Failing at my A Levels, my parents warned I couldn’t drop out of education unless I got a job! So, at 17, I applied for the Royal Navy Reserves, asked a local supermarket for some work and left education behind.

The Reserves ignited excitement in my belly and encouraged me to add value to the Armed Forces community; 16 months later I joined the Royal Navy.

1994 seems a distant memory now but it was a year that changed me from a young girl into a sailor and prepared me for an ever-changing military career. Basic training was a struggle for me, but it’s not designed to be easy. I requested to leave twice, and twice my request was refused!

My first draft on a warship, HMS Invincible, was one of the best experiences in my life. New challenges, meeting people who I remain friends with today and seeing the world. There was a serious side too and one in which I tend not to reflect on too much. The draft made me eligible for my first medal, supporting Operations in Former Yugoslavia. I travelled all over and have wonderful memories of foreign visits and flightdeck parties.

Read more about Natasha’s journey after service here

Get involved in research

Research opportunity with Newcastle University!

Newcastle university are offering this opportunity to Female RAF Veterans in regards to diversity and service culture. There is contact information on the poster above.

WRAC Association

Did you know ALL female veterans and serving women of ANY services can join the WRAC Association

There is currently no charge to join, and membership is open to any woman who has served or is currently serving in the British Armed Forces. There are many benefits to membership including

2 copies of Lioness magazine per year
Access to Association journal archive
Access to the Member’s Area including private social network
Entry to WRAC Association events
Access to non-WRAC Association events
Links to over 70 local branches
Events, Friendship and Support

(Some events may have restrictions and/or additional costs.)

If you’re interested in finding out more go to https://wraca.org.uk/join/ or ring 0300 400 1992

Upcoming Event!

SAVE THE DATE!

FEMALE VETERANS’ NETWORKING EVENT AND AFTERNOON TEA

VENUE: The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6QE

DATE: Saturday, 1ST February 2025

TIME: 1-4pm

Following on from the immense success of the Female Veterans’ Networking Event in July, Lothians Veterans Centre is holding anotherevent next year. This event will be a relaxed social one which will give ex-servicewomen another opportunity to meet and socialise with other ex-servicewomen in a relaxed all-female environment. It will also give LVC the opportunity to reach out to more female veterans to showcase how we and some of our partner organisations support female veterans. The event will be held in the Princess Royal Suite and there is a lift for anyone with mobility issues. There will be afternoon tea and a photobooth for some added fun.

We are delighted that Liza Jarvis who is leading The Female Veterans’ Transformation Programme will be coming along to provide an update on the online toolkit they are developing for female veterans. She will talk about the results of the consultation, and she would like feedback on some of the tools they are developing. We are also delighted that Susie Hamilton, the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, will be there.

We would love to see as many female veterans as possible for a day of fun and socialising.

YOU CAN RESERVE YOUR PLACE AT THIS FREE EVENT BY CLICKING HERE