All Charity in Belfast

AAVS provides respite, treatment, training, welfare assistance and more to those who serve or have served and their families throughout Northern Ireland.

AWARE is the Depression Charity for Northern Ireland. Belfast Office   A Derry-born charity, we now have two offices; one in Londonderry and a second office in Belfast. AWARE has an established network of 23 support groups in rural and urban areas across the country, which are run by our trained volunteers. Support groups welcome people with depression and bipolar disorder as well as carers for people with the illness. We also deliver Information Outreach sessions and attend community events to give more information about AWARE and our services. AWARE deliver mental health and well being programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces. These programmes include our suite of Mood Matters programmes, Living Life to the Full, Mental Health First Aid and Mindfulness. More information available on our web site

Blesma provides support to limbless Service and ex-Servicemen and women and their families. It has no permanent office in Northern Ireland but support is delivered by the Support Officer based in NW England who visits Members frequently.   Support offered includes:   Financial: Grants for mobility, rehabilitation and adaptations. Advice on compensation allowance claims. Activities: A programme of sporting, social and interest activities in the UK and beyond Accommodation: Nursing, residential and respite care. Personal: Welfare support and visits; assistance in dealings with Limb Service; assistance in finding employment; representation. For more information visit our web site or facebook page  

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading military charity specialising in the care of veterans’ mental health. We look after men and women who are suffering from a psychological condition related to the Service career as a small but significant number of veterans leave the Armed Forces with psychological wounds. This can lead to depression, anxiety, a phobia or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Combat Stress works with veterans of the British Armed Forces and members of the Reserve Forces, through effective treatment and support for mental health problems. Everything that we do is free of charge to the veteran. Our work is made possible through statutory, non-statutory and voluntary fundraising. We simply couldn’t do what we do without the generosity of the Great British public. What we provide At Combat stress we know that serving your country can take its toll. So we’ve used our expertise of supporting veterans suffering from mental ill-health to provide a range of services to deliver support, advice and treatment wherever you are. 24-hour Helpline The Combat Stress 24-hour Helpline is on 0800 138 1619, text 07537 404719 (standard charges may apply for texts), or email combatstress@rethink.org The Helpline is for the whole military community (serving personnel and ex-service men and women) and their families, looking for confidential and safe help and advice about service-related mental health issues. Community Outreach Support The Combat stress Community Outreach Support brings our expertise to you. Many veterans also need help with the day to day stuff – benefits, entitlements, money problems and the like, so we take a “whole person approach” to the care of veterans with mental health problems. So, as well as clinical treatments for mental health problems, our Community Outreach Teams offer welfare support to veterans too. Each team is made up of a Regional Welfare Officer, a Community Psychiatric Nurse, a Mental Health Practitioner and a Desk Officer. Together they offer both practical and clinical support to veterans and their immediate families, in their own homes and in local communities. A lot of the staff in our Community Outreach Teams are ex-services themselves, so they’ll understand you and your needs because they have served too. More intensive treatment We’re experts in the treatment of service-related mental health problems and provide specialist clinical treatment at our three short-stay residential Treatment Centres, in Shropshire, Surrey and Ayrshire. We also run a Well-being and Rehabilitation Programme – available to all veterans receiving treatment in our short-stay centres – as part of a structured occupational therapy model. It includes employment mentoring, life skills workshops, social activities in the community and so on.

We are a charity & social enterprise. Our aim – wellbeing for all. We deliver mental health, learning disability, autism, addiction services across Ireland. We are also the leading Charity for delivering mental Health interventions to Veterans.

Lifeline is the Northern Ireland crisis response helpline service for people who are experiencing distress or despair. No matter what your age or where you live in Northern Ireland, if you are or someone you know is in distress or despair, Lifeline is here to help.   People living in Northern Ireland can call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000. Deaf and hard of hearing Textphone users can call Lifeline on 18001 0808 808 8000. Calls to Lifeline are free to people living in Northern Ireland who are calling from UK landlines and mobiles.   Lifeline counsellors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to listen and help, in confidence. Lifeline counsellors are experienced in working with trauma, suicide, self-harm, abuse, depression and anxiety. You will receive immediate help on the phone. Should you need further support we can provide a face-to-face counselling appointment in your local area within seven days. Lifeline also provides support and guidance to families and carers, concerned friends, professionals, teachers, youth workers, clergy and communities. Remember, Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Just call. The Lifeline helpline is funded by the Department of Health.

The Not Forgotten Association Northern Ireland acts for the benefit of disabled ex-servicemen and women and our armed forces community. We provide outings, entertainment and respite breaks to veterans and their families. Our objective is to act generally for the benefit of service and ex-service personnel with disabilities or who are wounded, including the organisation or provision of items or facilities for leisure and recreational activities.

A new and exciting project has been launched thanks to the funding of The Armed Forces Covenant Fund. This new Northern Ireland specific service will offer Alternative therapies along side traditional therapies. It is aimed at Veterans’ Families and Carers with all veterans eligible for assistance. Included in the range of therapies is Horticultural Therapy, Equine Therapy, Music Therapy and a range of psyco-educational courses. for more information download our brochure here

SSAFA is a national charity operated on a regional basis. All our Branch members are highly trained volunteers, giving their time freely. SSAFA helps serving and ex-service men or women and their wives, husbands, partners and dependant family members, who need friendship, advice or assistance, from the day their service starts and for the rest of their lives. This help continues for widows and widowers, after divorce, and for people separated from established partnerships and for dependant children. We do not sit in judgement, we simply help people to sort out problems – with their agreement and as fast as possible. We are available, at the end of the telephone, by email or by letter, to do everything possible to relieve distress or to solve a problem. We will discuss the matter with you and agree the action to be taken. You can come to us with any problem or request – we don’t limit the type of problem or the type of help that might be possible. And we will see it through with you to the end – we won’t abandon you during the process.

The Legion is there for all members of the UK Armed Forces community, not just serving members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, but also ex-Service men and women (veterans), their carers and families. Millions of people in the UK and overseas are eligible to call on the Legion for help and half of those helped by the Legion are below retirement age. We provide practical care, advice and support to the Armed Forces family all year round. Welfare is at the heart of everything we do. Our Pop-In Advice & Information centre is situated at 51-53 Fountain Street, in Belfast City centre (directions here). Open from Monday to Friday, 10:00am to 4:00pm, the Pop-In provides a welcoming modern facility where staff and volunteers are available to meet with callers. The Area Office for Ireland (covering NI and the Republic) is at the same address in Belfast. We currently operate an Outreach service in Omagh, Portrush, Limavady and Newtownards. Details of your nearest outreach facility and the operating times of these services is available here. Our secondary office in Dublin is at The Capel Building, Mary’s Abbey, Dublin 7. Our Contact Centre operates seven days a week, from 08:00am to 08:00pm. The UK Freephone number for the Contact Centre is 0808 802 8080. For callers from the Republic of Ireland, the Freephone number is 1800 992 294. For more information, visit our website www.britishlegion.org.uk. Our website offers a live web chat facility and access to our extensive Knowledge Base. Why not ‘pop in’ and see us: