Armed Forces Day celebrates serving and ex serving personnel and their families

Lloyd’s is committed to supporting the Armed Forces; adding significant skills and diversity to our teams by employing 12 service leavers since 2018. We have also held insight days allowing those who have recently re-entered civilian life to gain a valuable understaning of the insurance sector. Last year, Lloyd’s was recognised for its support with the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Gold Award in 2018, the only one in 2018 for the insurance industry.

In addition, Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund (LPF) has united the Lloyd’s insurance market for the last two hundred years to support veterans and their families. In the last ten years, LPF has made grants of £3.6 million to help veterans and their families.

In the last twelve months, LPF has partnered with Walking with the Wounded, RFEA The Forces Employment Charity and Combat Stress to fund innovative initiatives in the sector as well as continued its long-standing partnerships with SSAFA, Gurkha Welfare Trust, Royal Navy Officers’ Charity, Royal Navy and Royal Marine Children’s Fund.

Our new Chair of Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund, Ed Butler says “I am delighted to join as Chair of the oldest military charity of its kind and we are proud of our long history and our contributions in support the Armed Forces community on behalf of the Lloyd’s market. Over the last year, LPF has worked with some outstanding charities to bring innovative new programmes to the sector. Armed Forces Day is a chance to show our appreciation and support for those serving, veterans and their families”

In celebration of Armed Forces Day, Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund is proud to share its achievements a year on…

LPF has funded the scaling up of the pioneering Project Nova to work with over 50% of police custody suites across the UK to a national level with Walking with the Wounded. This provides support for veterans who have been arrested (or at risk of arrest) to prevent reoffending.

This has enabled:

• 854 veterans across England to receive support, 42 veterans to secure housing and 84 veterans to find new employment in the last year.
• National support through funding three central administrators to coordinate the project and scale it up. Through funding a new IT system, this has enabled a more comprehensive service to veterans and more than 5,000 support calls supported in the last year.

Project Nova is helping people like Darren.

In 1997, following 6 years in Army, Darren left the military fearing that his life was in danger.  He had been hallucinating and experiencing panic attacks: 20–30 per day. Darren then struggled with the pressures of work and his personal life spiralled down, leading to a 9-month period of homelessness, as a result of a failed relationship.  Social services intervened and Child Support Agency (CSA) requested financial support for his daughter.  The Police Officer attending the incident referred Darren to Project Nova, where he was immediately offered 24/7 support. Darren was supported with regular phone calls and weekly meetings, financial debt help, PTSD treatment, training and an employment pathway. Darren’s life is now stable, and he has enrolled in an MBA course, remarried, and rebuilt his relationship with his daughter. Today, Darren looks at life totally differently to the past, with his focus on the present and future and he continues to be supported by his Project Nova worker as and when he needs.

LPF is also partnered with RFEA, The Forces Employment Charity to give employability support to 73 spouses and partners of serving and ex-serving military individuals. LPF has also funded a sensory modulation pilot (a technique to cope with stress and anxiety) with Combat Stress; training 88 health practitioners in the technique and integrating it into existing therapy treatments nationwide for 1,500 veterans to access.

Thank you
A huge thank you to all the Lloyd’s market companies who have donated to LPF for your support to enable us to help people like Darren.

To find out more, please visit our website or contact ResponsibleBusiness@lloyds.com.