St Helens Armed Forces Covenant
St Helens Borough Council are proud to honour our local Armed Forces community through public events such as the Annual Armed Forces Day and the Service of Remembrance.
We signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2012 and work closely with our local regiments, Armed Forces charities, and health, housing, education and employment partners to ensure the Armed Forces community receive the support and recognition they are entitled to.
This page has details of that support and hyperlinks to related pages and documents which include information and guidance relevant to our local armed forces community.
This is the link to our Armed Forces Community News webpage, with all the latest press releases and notices. This is the link to our Covenant Fund webpage, which has information on how to access funding to support local Armed Forces-related projects. The next link opens the most recent annual St Helens Armed Forces Covenant Report 2018-19.
If you or a member of your family serve in the British Armed Forces, or if you are an Armed Forces Service Leaver, Reservist, Veteran, Widow or Widower, the following page holds a summary of the support available in St Helens. This is a link to the council's Welcome To St Helens leaflet for Armed Forces families returning to, or moving to the borough. It includes useful contact numbers for housing, education, employment, health and public services.
VJ 75 Commemorations - St Helens Borough's Online Commemorations
Saturday 15 August 2020 was the 75th anniversary of Victory Over Japan (VJ) Day, which marked the End of the Second World War. St Helens Borough Council presented a series of virtual projects to commemorate the occasion.
On 13 August 2020, our Archive Service released a special 'From the Archives' video on its Facebook page, featuring some original documents held in the borough collections showing the local reaction to the end of the Second World War.
On 14 August 2020, our YouTube channel premiered local Burma Star veteran Lawrence Powers’ oral history film charting his war service from "call up", training at the famous Deolali British Army Camp in India (the setting for BBC television’s 1970s sitcom "It Ain’t Half Hot Mum"), and events in Malaysia and India during the Second World War. Originally captured as part of an oral history project by Wigan Armed Forces Centre in 2019, this film was shared with St Helens Borough for the VJ 75 commemorations.
The following link takes you to a short excerpt from the film published on St Helens Borough Council's Twitter page, where Lawrence recalls the fall of the atom bomb, the surrender of the Japanese Army, VJ Day and the return to Liverpool of those British troops held in Japanese prisoner of war camps. After his service, Lawrence returned home to St Helens Borough in 1945, a WWII veteran at the age of 19.
On 15 August 2020, we premiered a short video commemoration titled ‘Peace Has Once Again Come To The World’ by local artist Rebecca Ainsworth at 11am. To catch all of the videos, follow St Helens Borough Council on Twitter and Facebook @sthelenscouncil and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/sthelenscouncil.
St Helens Borough Council Armed Forces Leisure Membership
St Helens Borough Council offers access to all council leisure services for Armed Forces personnel and former members of the Armed Forces. The memberships are all-inclusive, which enable members to access council-run gyms, pools, saunas, steam rooms and classes.
Please note: Armed Forces memberships can only be issued at a council leisure centre reception. You must take your Armed Forces ID as proof.
The entitlements are outlined below:
- Armed Forces regulars, reserves and veterans - discounted Go Active bronze membership (anytime including weekends).
- All serving personnel and veterans for seven days starting on National Armed Forces Day each year - FREE access to all council leisure centres, fitness suites and swimming pools.
- Recipients of an Armed Forces pension and compensation (MOD) - FREE Go Active Membership (daytime including weekends).
- All serving Regular Armed Forces personnel on leave - one month's FREE access to all council leisure centres, fitness suites and swimming pools.
Veterans Of The Foundation Breakfast Club
This is a link to the Veterans of the Foundation Breakfast Club website. At the moment the Veterans of the Foundation Breakfast Club is closed due to COVID-19 lockdown measures, but it ususally runs from 10am every Thursday at the RedVee Café Bar, Totally Wicked Stadium, McManus Drive, St Helens WA9 3AL.
- It holds drop-in session and breakfast club for regulars, reservists, ex-forces, veterans and their families.
- It is regularly attended by staff from local services such as The Royal British Legion, Jobcentre Plus, NHS Health Services, Torus Housing, and St Helens Council.
Local Regular Regiments
This is a link to The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment website. The Duke of Lancaster's regiment is the local infantry regiment in the North West. To find out more about a career with the Duke of Lancaster's, please watch their latest recruitment video.
St Helens' Local Reserve Regiments
Below is a link to the website of our local British Army Reserve Regiment:
Find out more about the Reserve Forces
The following link plays a YouTube video highlighting the main roles of the soldiers within 103 Regiment Royal Artillery Reserve and the rigours they go through during their Live Fire Training.
St Helens' Cadet Forces
Below are the links to the websites of our local Sea, Air and Army Cadet Forces:
St.Helens Sea Cadets - TS Scimitar
Newton-le-Willows Sea Cadets with a Marine Cadet Detachment - TS Warspite
St.Helens Army Cadet Detachment
Newton-le-Willows Army Cadet Detachment
St.Helens Air Training Corps - 969 Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets
- St Helens Council Armed Forces and Reservist Employment Policy
- Forces Family Jobs: Official MOD endorsed Forces Friendly Employers Job Hub for Reservists, Veterans, and their Families
- The Starting Point: Help and advice on getting a job in St Helens
- St Helens Chamber: Help and support with self employment, new skills and qualifications
- Royal British Legion Industries Lifeworks: Free Employment Training Course For Armed Forces Veterans
- Former Forces Support: Life Skills, Wellbeing, Employment Training Development Programmes
- Veteran's Gateway: The first point of contact for veterans seeking support; putting veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more.
- Forces Family Jobs: Official MOD endorsed Forces Friendly Employers Job Hub for Reservists, Veterans, and their Families
- Veterans Hearing Fund (VHF): Provides support to veterans who acquired hearing loss during Service. It is open to those who have a wellbeing need that cannot be met through statutory services (such as the NHS). VHF may fund hearing aids, peripherals or therapies (e.g., lip reading).
- Contact: A collaboration of leading military charities, support organisations, the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, UK Psychological Trauma Society and top academics working together to make the most effective mental health support easily accessible to the Armed Forces community.
- The Royal British Legion
- Royal British Legion Industries: Lifeworks Courses offering free employment training to Armed Forces veterans
- SSAFA Forces Help - help for ex-military personnel to access support and funding.
- St Helens Information and Advice Service can assist you with a wide range of issues including: benefits advice, accessing care and support, homelessness and housing issues.
- War Memorials Trust: works to protect and conserve war memorials in the UK. The charity provides free advice to anyone as well as running grant schemes to support repair and conservation projects.
- Support for Employers of Britain's Reserve Forces
- NHS Employers guide to employing Reservists
- Apply for Service Record: How to get a copy of military service records from the MOD Gov website
- Veteran ID Cards: how to apply from the MOD Gov website
- Forces Compare: offers unique discounts on financial / legal services for both serving and veterans
- Career Transition Partnership: Resettlement guidance and advice for Armed Forces Service Leavers.
- AIM: St.Helens-based organisation supporting amputees to develop skills and confidence, providing team-building workshops and inspirational speakers.
- Rewards For Forces: Retail Discount Scheme
- Domestic abuse: Guidance and support for the Armed Forces community.
- SPACES (Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex Services): A national housing advice and placement service for veterans. SPACES targets the most vulnerable of service leavers, regardless of rank, length of service, or reason for discharge and helps them to get a home.
- Defence Discount Services: Official MOD website for information about discounts offers for the Forces community from shops, retailers and food outlets etc.
- Naval Families Federation: Giving Royal Naval and Royal Marines’ families an independent voice.
- Army Families Federation: Independent confidential advice and support for Army families.
- RAF Families Federation: Provides an independent voice for the serving RAF and their families.
- Project NOVA: Provides advice, guidance and support to ex-Forces personnel who have who have entered police custody.