To simplify administration processes, the Treasury have decided that the retention of a second charge on properties purchased with the aid of the Long Service Advance of Pay (LSAP) by the Secretary of State for Defence is no longer necessary, and it has subsequently been removed. To view this article in full, please click here
We have received a request for anyone planning to send a parcel to serving personnel in Op Telic or Op Herrick. Please can you include the following items in your parcels – dried goods (such as coffee or dried soups) to supplement their diets, wet wipes, marmite, peanut butter and toiletries (non aerosol). Remember that for operational reasons parcels should be sent to named personnel only and weigh no more that 2kg. For more information on sending a parcel and last posting dates visit www.bfpo.mod.uk.
SSAFA-Forces Help - Service Children's Additional Needs & Disability Holidays in UK & Germany 2009 - click here to find out more
Click here to find out how you can help support Help for Heroes by eating chocolate! Caley's of Norwich have launched 3 new chocolate products in support of this wonderful charity. A donation from each product purchased will go directly to the charity.
Click here for important information on Christmas Post for those serving overseas and the new controls on post to be introduced.
On 6th November 2008 a new support service for service personnel and their families, the Forces Prayerline on 0845 26 37 223, will be officially launched in UK. Click here for all the information.
The CEAS Helpline will be closed on Friday afternoons from 12.30 onwards for the foreseeable future, to enable them to complete essential casework. During these temporary closures enquiries can still be left on their answer machine or via e-mail on enquiries@ceas.detsa.co.uk
Click here for some great Festive Tips for 2008?
Click here if you are outside of the UK and want to know the correct way to send post to someone with a BFPO address.
The Winter heating period is fast approaching. Please click here to read a letter from MHS recommending starting up your heating system in advance in order to make sure it all runs smoothly and if not any problems can be rectified before winter sets in.
The findings of the Service Personnel Command Paper have just been announced. Click here for full details To read a comment from Kim and the NFF click here.
An opportunity for Service parents to have their say about school admissions in England. Click here to read the letter from the Children's Education Advisory Service (CEAS) with a link to the Department for Children, Schools, and Families (DCSF)"
Click here to find out the results of the first ever Tri-Service Armed Forces Continuous Attitude survey (AFCAS).
Click here for the policy and guidance on the medical care available to Naval Service personnel from the Surgeon General.
The Forces Pension Society - Do you have, or do you expect to have, an Armed Forces Pension ? If so, then who's looking after your pension interests ? Click here for the full info.
MHS - Gaining access to properties in order to carry out repairs and planned inspections. Click here to find out your obligations to MHS.
Check out the Naval Families Federation Page on Facebook ®, become a fan and add your photos, providing also another forum for voicing your concerns/issues. Join in the discussion into people’s perceptions of our in house magazine Homeport…. We need your opinion!!
Click here to check out the items on the Tall Trees Community Centre and the Story Book Parents initiative at RNAS Yeovilton.
A new, internet-based, Armed Forces' Benefits Calculator has been launched. Click here for more details.
The Armed Forces Childcare Voucher Scheme is up and running. Is it good for you? Click here to log on to their website and find out more detail
Council Tax relief has been extended to all troops on operations - click here to find out more
Urgent notice to occupants of SFA re Immersion Heater Thermostats. Please click here to read this urgent advice from Defence Estates.
Affordable Housing: Key Worker Living Scheme expanded to cover all English Regions. Click here to find out more
RNAS CULDROSE now has a Contact House facility (Short Term Family Accommodation). Click here for more detail.
If you are planning to see "The Sound of Music" or "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" in London, click here for details of a special deal for UK Servicemen and Women recently returned from a deployment/tour of duty in Afghanistan or Iraq, and their families.
The web address for the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) has changed to www.veterans-uk.info The SPVA provides a range of 'through life' support functions to around 900,000 serving personnel and Veterans. A free Helpline 0800 1692 277 is a single point for accessing information.
Response Maintenance: Chargeable Items - the role of MHS is to repair and restore the function of the housing estate. If someone in your house causes damage to your property, MHS will be happy to quote you to put this damage right. Click here to find out more
MHS have recently tasked Faithful and Gould with carrying out condition surveys on all SFA over the next 12 months. These surveys will give the housing providers a much better understanding of the state of our housing and then they will be able to allocate funds accordingly. It is essential that these surveys are completed on all SFA. Can families please arrange to be available for the surveys which should take less than an hour to complete.
Fairer Social Housing Rules for Service Personnel - Government puts service personnel on a level playing field for council housing. Click here for the full report.
If you are looking for short term family accommodation in the Plymouth area, click here to find out more.
Click here to download an excellent 'Guide to Making a Will' which is so important for everybody yet millions of people in the UK die with no will or an out of date one. It is not just about money and possessions but about who will look after any children you have and what sort of funeral arrangements you want.
The latest 2007 MHS SFA Accommodation Guide and annexes is available here in PDF format (1.5mgb)