The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) established to help ex-Service men and women make a successful transition back to civilian life, has awarded a grant of £73,098 to The Royal British Legion to double the sample size in the forthcoming update of their national survey of the Armed Forces Community.

The original survey, still the only national survey of its type, was carried out ten years ago. Since then, the Armed Forces Community has seen a lot of change, including redundancies, welfare reform, as well as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is now an ideal opportunity to update the survey and gain further insight and feedback. This should help to enable military charities to deliver their services to best meet the needs of beneficiaries.

The updated survey will provide further insight into the Armed Forces community, including: variation in size and demographics, personal circumstances, awareness of help and support available and the community’s welfare needs. Comparisons with the general population will be made to identify more specific issues.

The increased sample size will make the research more effective and robust, increasing the statistical confidence in the data collected, allowing the Legion and a plethora of other organisations to address the needs of the community in the years ahead.

Chief Executive of the Forces in Mind Trust, Ray Lock, said:  “The previous survey the Royal British Legion carried out nearly 10 years ago provided extremely useful information about the Armed Forces Community.

“FiMT is very pleased to provide funding for this type of research, which adds to the strong evidence-base to which we are contributing across the sector. Our seminal Transition Mapping Study (published August 2013) and Manchester Business School’s study of Integrated Support Networks, as well as the Directory of Social Change’s online Guide to the Military Charity Sector (due to be published later this year), will all enable us to inform the development of effective and evidence-driven programmes and projects.”

The Royal British Legion’s Director General, Chris Simpkins, said: “The new survey will paint a detailed evidence-based picture of life for members of the Armed Forces community today and, in particular, the challenges that they face. The findings from this study will provide the information we need to better support our Service people, veterans and their families going forward, and respond to their most immediate concerns.

“We’re looking forward to sharing our results with other organisations, and would like to thank Forces in Mind Trust for their generous grant.”

Notes to Editors: For interview requests, photos or more information, please contact:

Alice Farrow at The PR Office on afarrow@theproffice.com  / mobile:  07788 540 924 07788 540 924 / direct dial: 027 284 6955.

Afsheen Latif, Public Relations Officer, The Royal British Legionalatif@britishlegion.org.uk, 020 3207 2243 020 3207 2243 / 07901 110 819 07901 110 819

About The Royal British Legion: The Royal British Legion stands shoulder to shoulder with all who serve. It is the nation’s leading Armed Forces charity providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It is also the national Custodian of Remembrance and safeguards the Military Covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces. It is best known for the annual Poppy Appeal and its emblem, the red poppy.www.britishlegion.org.uk