Glasgow’s Helping Heroes (GHH), run by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity in partnership with Glasgow City Council, is extending its reach from Glasgow into Helensburgh through a new initiative to help spouses and partners of Royal Navy personnel based at HMNB Clyde.
Made possible through grant funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, GHH is launching Apart Not Alone on Monday, 24 February.
Apart Not Alone will take place each Monday morning during term time from 9:30am-11:30am at the Drumfork Community Centre, located at Churchill Square, Helensburgh G84 9HN. It will provide an informal, welcoming and supportive community to spouses and partners of serving Royal Navy personnel.
Attendees will be able to connect with others who share their experiences, have one-on-one conversations with GHH Peer Support Workers to receive tailored support, and hear from the GHH team and guest speakers on a range of themes, all intended to help them for as long as they are stationed at HMNB Clyde.
Earlier this month, GHH held a working group with representatives from several organisations to plan themes for Apart Not Alone sessions. These organisations included the Royal Navy, Naval Family’s Federation, Naval Children’s Charity, the Argyll and Bute Service Pupil Advisor, Home-Start Lomond, Royal Navy Family and People Support, Fun First and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. Based on the input from this group, key themes for sessions will be deployment, mental health, navigating the education system, employment, finances and housing.
The first session’s theme is “Plan for the Weekend Ahead”, since many feel the impact of their partner’s deployment most intensely during days that are not filled by work or school. Tea, coffee and pastries will be provided, and parents are encouraged to bring their children, with a play area, ball pits and toys set out each week to entertain little ones.
Nicola Webster, Peer Support Worker at GHH, said:
“As a Royal Navy veteran, I am very proud to be part of the team that is bringing this programme to life in the Helensburgh community. We understand that being the partner of someone serving in the military can bring complex emotions, and living away from family and friends can lead to feelings of isolation. Through Apart Not Alone, we are hoping to help people overcome loneliness and offer some extra support with common stresses.
“Our team is really looking forward to connecting with the community through Apart Not Alone, even if people just want to join us for a cuppa and a casual chat.”
SSAFA has been working for the whole UK Armed Forces community for 140 years, since 1885. Its mission is simple: to reach and embrace the Armed Forces family, so they never battle alone.
While Apart Not Alone provides support to the spouses and partners of serving Royal Navy personnel, SSAFA’s help is available to any member of the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans and their families.
Anyone who needs support in the local area can contact the GHH team, or the Argyll & Bute branch: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/argyll-bute
