No veteran should walk alone. No veteran should be left behind.
At the start of this new year, we thank you for your ongoing support. Because of your generosity, we can continue supporting veterans through severe challenges; helping them rediscover purpose and stability in their lives.
In 2025 we provided 7,322 hours of support across all our programmes directly to wounded veterans.
The last event of 2025 was our Carol Service in December. 650 people came together to celebrate and reflect on the year passed. We were honoured to have Manveen Rana host the evening, with readings beautifully delivered by Joseph Fiennes, Penelope Wilton and Jeremy Vine (kindly stepping in for Lord Soames). Sonoro and Ellie Laugharne filled the church with the most glorious music and in recognition of the work we are starting to do with Ukraine, Serafyma Lomeiko, a Ukrainian singer training here, sang the first verse of Silent night. A very poignant moment.
With an impressive team of volunteers and committee members (including a group from our wonderful supporters Big Yellow) helping out on the day and through the evening along with generous sponsors of the night, the evening brought much joy, but most importantly raised an incredible amount for the charity.
Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and joined us on the night or donated to The Big Give Christmas Challenge with matched funding from The Monday Charitable Trust. Together the evening raised and exceptional £130,000.
UPCOMING EVENTS – DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
For further information about any of these events, please contact [email protected]
WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE CHARITY. LOOKING AHEAD.
2026 Skihabilitation Week:
Our 13th ski week is coming up and we are in the final phases of interviewing veterans for the last few remaining places. Buddies are all confirmed and in training to prepare for the week whilst focussing on their fundraising endeavours. Last years buddies raised £154,000 – can they beat that total this year?!
Alongside the ski week will be the Winter Challenge, bringing corporate supporters and friends together for two days of military set and led ski challenges, with our Winter Symposium taking place one evening. The challenge last year raised £110,000, another impressive target to aim for.
MDMA Trials:
We know that veterans can embrace their full potential when their lives are less dominated by the pain of mental or physical injuries.
Supported by NHS England, we are working with world-class researchers at the Cambridge Psychedelic Research Group, Addenbrookes Hospital and Fulbourn Hospital in collaboration with Cambridge University to deliver the UK's second MDMA-assisted therapy trial. This trial aims to find an effective treatment for the most severe PTSD focusing on group therapy.
Hear from our Patron about the trials here. https://spectator.com/article/mdma-should-be-licensed-for-veterans-with-ptsd/
To understand more about the trials and the potential this treatment has, please watch the following videos:
Rivers’ Forum & Veterans' Rivers Task Force:
Over the past several months, the Veterans’ Rivers Task Force has been working steadily behind the scenes, bringing together veterans’ lived experience, a passion for the outdoors, and a shared commitment to protecting our rivers. Through regular conversations and collaboration, the task force has been exploring the challenges facing our waterways, sharing insights, and helping to shape thoughtful, practical approaches to river health. Members have travelled to the River Dart to speak with a wide range of stakeholders, including riparian owners, the Westcountry Rivers Trust, local farmers, and others. They have also taken part in initial site walks and deployed drones alongside the Westcountry Rivers Trust to establish a project baseline, as well as travelling across the country to receive training in specialist equipment and methodologies from leading universities and companies in the sector. Alongside this work, we have continued to deliver hands-on river cleanup days across London’s waterways, bringing together veterans and corporate partners to make a tangible difference on the ground.
The insight and momentum from this work are now feeding directly into the upcoming Rivers’ Forum. The forum will bring together veterans, supporters, partners, and experts for a day of inspiring speakers, shared learning, and meaningful discussion about the future of our rivers. If you’re passionate about protecting waterways and want to be part of shaping what comes next, we strongly encourage you to join us. Please keep an eye out for Rivers’ Forum tickets, launching at the end of the month.
Pain Management:
2025 was a busy year and once again we find we are never lacking in referrals, mainly through OP programmes within the NHS. The Pain Reviews are consultations between veterans and Dr Aldington, Pain Specialist and ex RAMC, and are happening on a monthly basis. Alongside these reviews we continue to run our Pain Resilience Courses which are conducted online. Having created the first veteran-specific pain management programme 12 years ago, we are now offering our knowledge and experience in this area to Ukraine, to help them provide this invaluable support to their wounded soldiers.
OTE & Welfare Support:
We are currently supporting many veterans who are facing a range of complex challenges. Loneliness and isolation remain significant concerns, and SWV is addressing these through peer support and by helping veterans engage with local services and community networks. We are also assisting veterans with compensation claims, which can be particularly challenging for those with mental health injuries. Our team provides support with applications, evidence gathering, and appeals, ensuring veterans are not facing the process alone. In addition, many injured veterans are worried about potential changes to the welfare benefits system, recently proposed by the Government. SWV is reassuring veterans that no changes are imminent, while continuing to lobby the government to protect the benefits that enable them to live independently.
Mentoring:
88 Veterans are currently being mentored and we have 81 trained mentors (Some mentors are mentoring more than 1 veteran!). In November we held a training session for the 8 newest mentors as well as provided them with Suicide Awareness Training. At the end of the month 8 more potential mentors will be taking part in their training. The demand for this programme remains high. This long-term and personalised support acts as a golden thread through the charity, connecting veterans with opportunities and advice, helping veterans continue to progress and receive the help they deserve.
Hear from one of our Veterans:
Matt attended our Ski Week last year and has since engaged in our mentoring, OTE and EFT programmes:
When first coming to the charity SWV, I was suffering with my mobility due to my injuries, being overweight, had recently been made redundant and struggling with my PTSD; my self esteem was very low as were my expectations of what I could achieve in my life, I was surviving making money a living as a photographer.
I was introduced to my mentor. He comes from a professional background and took time to get to know me and I started to trust him. There have been some ups and downs both medically and with my home life but not before long I was focusing on starting the process of achieving a better level of fitness adapted for my injuries and achieving better prospects for my future.
Recently I have even been on both adaptive skiing and sailing courses and my fitness is improving. I have started working with the OU on a Business management and marketing degree and am now working on my fourth module, I’ve completed and passed my first 2 assignments achieving first in both. I’m still passionate about my photography and still make money from it but it’s more of a hobby and side hustle now. I am really looking forward to 2026 and having someone who has got my back as I go forward on my journey. I am much more confident about my future prospects and am now applying for management jobs with an interview coming up for a veterans charity in my area.
Matt will be joining us on this year’s Ski Week as a Veteran Challenger. This shows just how far he has come in the past 10 months.
Fundraise for Us:
There can’t be a hill, lake or trail that hasn’t had the SWV flag planted on it over the past year. And more extraordinary and mad fundraising endeavours are planned for this year.
Recently, Andy (a 2024 Ski Week Veteran) swam over 250 miles in open water. The original plan was 150 miles, but he kept on swimming!
Andrew ran the length of the M25, 140miles over 5 days, completing it just before New Year. Quite an extreme way of avoiding the holiday traffic!
Katie is looking to complete the ‘Beyond the Ultimate’ Global Race Series this year, with the Jungle Ultra race in May, 230km through the Peruvian Rainforests!
Tinks swam the length of the five Normandy Beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - 47km in total, in honour of her father who participated in the D-Day landings. It took her 20 hours and 20 minutes – a remarkable recognition of her fathers’ service.
Steve (a 2017 Ski Week Veteran) took on The Mongal Challenge – 100 miles across the frozen Mongolian landscape, running and ice skating. An incredible achievement and an indication of how far Steve has come in his recovery from life-changing spinal injuries.
This is just a snapshot of some of the recent fundraising adventures that have taken place. Amongst our buddies for this year Peter has walked 10 marathons, Piers held a Golf day and Chris put on a highly entertaining talk about The Queen Mother at The Castle of Mey. Fundraising events can be as varied as your imagination allows.
As well at these individual initiatives, we have also held a few Fundraising Talks, given by our Patron General Sir Nick Carter focussing on the New World Disorder- Where are we heading, specifically where the UK and our Armed Forces stand today. One of these talks was hosted by Mark Florman, at Time Partners, supported by one of our Veterans Arron who told his story about his spiral into depression on being medically discharged before he found SWV. These talks have proved both highly insightful and very successful in raising vital funds for the charity.
If you have an idea or an urge to take on a challenge on behalf of SWV,
please get in touch: [email protected]
A FINAL THOUGHT.
Although the world may feel rather uncertain now, our purpose is not. To honour, support and stand alongside those who have sacrificed so much for their country and now face their own battles.
Our most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan may seem a long time ago to some but not to those who were there, who carry the scars they left, and battle with their own demons. Servicemen and women continue to be medically discharged every year. The current stats speak for themselves:
2000 people leave the services each year for physical or mental health reasons.
Thank you for your continued support of our work, ensuring we can be there for those in need.