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The BIG Lottery Fund is announcing a £35 million FORCES in MIND programme. The funding will help those veterans who struggle with the transition to civilian life, especially those whose psychological well-being subsequently impacts on the quality of their life and others around them.  Former armed forces personnel and their families are set to benefit.
 
BIG’s Lottery good cause funding commitment is the single biggest investment of its kind.

BIG intends to establish an independent trust to provide long-term support and advocacy for those who served in conflicts including Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf War. The Trust will draw on the expertise and dynamism of the many charities working in this field and will provide support for those working with veterans to improve their psychological well-being.  

Charities and other experts in the field are clear that where the impact of the transition from Forces to civilian life is traumatic it can lead to issues such as depression, family trauma, substance misuse, homelessness and even suicide. It will be the Trust’s challenge to help veterans tackle these issues.  

BIG, the largest of the Lottery good cause funders, has been consulting withService and ex-Service bodies (*see notes to editors for list) to help identify where it can best meet the needs and build the capacity of organisations supporting ex-Service families. It has been estimated that around 19,000 Service personnel return to civilian life each year.

Chair of the BIG Lottery Fund, Sir Clive Booth announced the funding today: “For some the after-effects of making the transition from a career in the Forces do not always present themselves in an obvious way or even immediately. Supporting organisations that can make a real difference to the reintegration into civilian life of the men and women who have served their country is a real and pressing priority for us.”  

Sir Clive added: “BIG has established a remarkable legacy in funding older veterans (**notes to editors) and now we want to also focus on more recent veterans and their families including returnees from Iraq and Afghanistan by putting in place this  long term support.”  

The programme is one of the new funding programmes developed by BIG for 2010-2015 as part of its Strategic Framework.  An extensive public consultation identified the broad areas of need that the Fund would prioritise as areas of isolation and transition.  

Forces in Mind will enable existing organisations that support veterans and their families to improve access to appropriate and relevant services. It will also fund research, awareness raising and advocacy work.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Fund is planning to start the process of setting up the Trust shortly.  
• *Mental Health foundation, MoD and Confederation of British Service and Ex Service Organisations, an umbrella group whose members include the main players such as combat Stress, Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes.
• **BIG’s current Heroes Return 2 funding scheme, was launched by the Big Lottery Fund in April 2009 in the run up to the 65th anniversary of D-Day, enables Second World War Veterans to make commemorative visits to the Second World War battlefields where they saw action. So far £5.6 million has been awarded benefitting more than 8,500 veterans, spouses, widows and carers.
• BIG’s previous Heroes Return scheme awarded £16.6 million to over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows and carers to fund similar commemorative trips.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery. BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.