The Army maintains a significant presence in Wales, with many members of the Army community settling there. This year, we are pleased to begin three new partnerships with specialist charities across Wales, each offering tailored support to the Army family.
Through these grants, we aim to improve access to mental health care, wellbeing activities, practical guidance, and opportunities for connection, ensuring soldiers, veterans, and their families receive the right help at the right time.
Our grant of £20,000 will help Valley Veterans deliver a wide-ranging programme of physical and mental health support for veterans, reservists, serving personnel, and their families. Recognised as a model for holistic Armed Forces support in Wales, the charity offers a dedicated mental health service for veterans, as well as equine therapy, horticultural activities and meaningful outdoor work, all designed to support emotional wellbeing and reduce loneliness.
Valley Veterans is the only organisation in Wales offering a dedicated mental health service specifically for veterans. Its partnerships with NHS Veterans Wales and MIND ensure people can access specialist help quickly and without repeatedly retelling their story. Our funding will help strengthen this vital, person-centred model.
The charity’s twice-weekly support hubs provide warm, welcoming spaces with hot meals and opportunities to socialise. The hubs also host clinics and advice sessions delivered with partners including NHS Veterans Wales, MIND, Diabetes UK and Citizens Advice, ensuring easy access to mental health support, physical health checks, and practical guidance.
We are pleased to award £20,000 to Woody’s Lodge, a Welsh charity providing calm, welcoming hubs where veterans, reservists, emergency service personnel, and their families can seek support and reconnect with others. The charity offers practical help with benefits, pensions, housing, employment and navigating local council systems, alongside assistance with NHS and specialist healthcare referrals.
Community and wellbeing sit at the heart of the charity’s work. Regular activities – including gardening, creative workshops, coffee mornings, memory days and guided walks – help reduce isolation and rebuild confidence. Woody’s Lodge also supports spouses, partners and children, recognising the central role families play in the wellbeing of the Forces community.
Our grant will help sustain these trusted hubs so more veterans and families across Wales can access approachable, life-enhancing support.
Our £15,000 grant will support The VC Gallery’s Dig 4 Victory project, an innovative initiative in Pembrokeshire designed for veterans and families facing mental health challenges, trauma, isolation and difficulties transitioning to civilian life. These issues can be compounded in rural areas by limited transport and long waits for specialist services.
Dig 4 Victory offers therapeutic and practical activities that promote wellbeing and community connection. Participants take part in gardening and allotment work at a former coastal defence site, now transformed into a vibrant outdoor space. Guided heritage walks and creative sessions help build confidence, while cooking workshops using homegrown produce encourage healthy habits and social interaction.
To ensure accessibility, transport is provided from hubs across North and South Pembrokeshire. Working closely with GP clusters, social prescribing teams, schools, and Pembrokeshire College, the project offers early intervention in a community setting, reducing pressure on NHS services and ensuring timely, person‑centred support.
Bringing support closer to the Army community in Wales
These new partnerships reflect our commitment to ensuring that the Army family across Wales can access the support they need within their own communities. Each charity brings its own strengths, from practical advice and wellbeing activities to peer support and specialist mental health services. Together, we aim to help veterans and families build stability, improve wellbeing, and find a place where they feel understood and supported.
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief Operating Officer of the Army Benevolent Fund, said:
“Each of these charities brings a unique strength to the Armed Forces community, but all share the same commitment to providing practical, compassionate and accessible support. By forming new partnerships in Wales, we can help ensure that soldiers, veterans and their families receive the right help at the right time, no matter the challenges they face.”