Following our latest Hidden Voices awards, we take a closer at some of the projects helping seldom-heard members of the armed forces community access support shaped around their real experiences.
The latest round of Hidden Voices funding will support projects across the UK by:
- Awarding over £670,000 to organisations
- Delivering accessible mental health and wellbeing support
- Reaching underrepresented members of the armed forces community
- Focusing on early intervention and prevention
- Helping people get the right support before challenges escalate
The funded projects reflect the breadth and complexity of the armed forces community, including support for:
- Veterans living with dementia
- Reservists and their families
- Early service leavers
- Women veterans
- Children affected by domestic abuse
- People facing barriers linked to trauma, isolation, or health needs
Supporting reservists and their families in Wales
What: Bulldogs Boxing & Community Activities in Wales has been awarded £25,000 for Between Two Worlds, a community-based mental health and wellbeing project shaped by the lived experiences of reservists and their families.
What it will do: Reservists often balance military service with family life, work and wider community responsibilities. The project will offer tailored coaching, peer support and inclusive events to reduce isolation, build emotional resilience and strengthen community connections.
Why it matters: Between Two Worlds will create accessible, preventative support for reservists and their families, offering a space where their experiences are recognised and understood. By building support within the community, it will help people connect with others who understand the pressures of living between military and civilian worlds.
Rebuilding confidence for early service leavers
What: Raw Performance CIC has been awarded £24,940 for Mission Rebuild, a holistic wellbeing programme for early service leavers and their families.
How it helps: Working in partnership with Impact Wellbeing Solutions, the project will offer veteran-led tactical fitness, nutritional workshops and peer mentoring. Together, these activities are designed to help participants rebuild confidence, strengthen wellbeing and feel supported by others with shared experience.
Why it matters: Leaving the military early can be a difficult transition, bringing changes to identity, routine and family life. Mission Rebuild is specifically designed to support early service leavers as they adjust to civilian life, helping them rebuild confidence, strengthen wellbeing and develop the tools they need for the next stage of their journey. By combining physical activity, mentoring and practical support, the programme also helps families feel more connected and better equipped to support that transition.
Director of Raw Performance CIC, Steven Tallis said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. Just one week into Mission Rebuild, we already have a fantastic mix of veterans from all branches of the armed forces on board. This support allows us to set collective and individual targets that we will reach and achieve together. By combining tactical fitness, nutrition, and peer mentoring, we are excited to help veterans and their families strengthen their wellbeing and successfully navigate life beyond service within a supportive, shared community.”
Supporting families affected by child-to-parent abuse
Support for families facing hidden challenges: PEGS has been awarded £25,000 for its Hidden Voices Creative Wellbeing Programme, a UK-wide project supporting armed forces families affected by abuse from their children.
How support will be offered: The project will provide trauma-informed group support, creative workshops and opportunities for peer connection. It will also develop co-produced resources and a public exhibition to help raise awareness of an issue that can be difficult to talk about, while supporting participants’ emotional wellbeing.
Why it matters: This project brings an important and often overlooked perspective to the article, highlighting families whose experiences may go unseen or unsupported. By creating safe opportunities for connection, reflection and shared understanding, PEGS will help families feel less alone while contributing to greater awareness across the wider support sector.
Founding Director, Michelle John explains: “Families experiencing child-to-parent abuse often feel isolated, unheard, and unsure where to turn for support, particularly within armed forces communities where additional pressures can exist. Through the Hidden Voices Creative Wellbeing Programme, we want to create safe, trauma-informed spaces where parents can connect, reflect, and feel understood without judgement. By combining creative wellbeing approaches with co-produced resources and awareness raising, we hope this project will not only support families directly affected but also help shine a light on an issue that too often remains hidden.”
Support shaped around real experiences
Across this latest round, funded projects will use a wide range of approaches, including peer support, creative wellbeing, outdoors therapy, trauma-informed counselling, physical activity, family resources, advocacy, and specialist mental health support.
In Scotland, Ventures Trust Outdoor Therapy for Veterans will provide clinically led one to one counselling delivered outdoors across Greater Glasgow for veterans who cannot engage with traditional indoor services. In Northern Ireland, The Verbal’s Our Voice Our Choice project will use lived-experience insight, targeted outreach and partnership working to improve veteran- centred health access for underrepresented armed forces communities.
While each project takes a different approach, they share a common purpose: to help people feel understood, supported and better able to access help that reflects their circumstances. Together, these projects show how Hidden Voices is working to improve access to equitable mental health and wellbeing support for underrepresented and seldom-heard members of the armed forces community, while also raising awareness and sharing learning across the organisations that support them.
Find out more
Looking for the full list of projects and award amounts? You can view the complete Hidden Voices award list on our website.