Game on at GOALS in Wimbledon

An exciting collaboration with the charity FirstLight Trust is being launched today at GOALS Wimbledon that aims to support military and blue light veterans as well as the wider local community.

From Tuesday there will be regular day time group meetings, hosted by a case worker, at GOALS Wimbledon that will offer veterans and their families a ’safe space’ to meet, have a brew, chat with others facing similar challenges and receive ongoing support from FirstLight case workers.

Veterans and their families, will also get the chance to try out new activities and hobbies as they socialise helping each other to reduce loneliness, isolation and improve physical and mental well-being.

FirstLight Trust has a mission to relieve, promote and protect the health and thereby rehabilitate, former and leaving members of the armed forces as well as emergency services affected by physical wounds and injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological issues of disempowerment resulting from service life.

Support is normally delivered through 5 Community cafe Hubs across the country that enable veterans to build trust, maintain dignity and to ask for more in-depth support.  These hubs also provide much needed socialisation and soft support to enable veterans to cope, feel worthy and begin to self-manage and take increased responsibility for their choices. Our activities programme underpins this work further giving them a purpose.

By collaborating with Goals, FirstLight can extend their reach into local communities. “GOALS have been really supportive, innovative and creative in working with us to offer veterans a place to meet, to socialise, to be physically active and make connections with the local community” says Dorinda Wolfe Murray, CEO of FirstLight Trust. “The support and care that we give to veterans is very much delivered at community level and in places that veterans go. We encourage integration and veterans and their families utilising facilities and the opportunities that Goals centres can provide will support long term community connections and better health outcomes.”

Martin Cassidy, National Football Development Officer for GOALS said:

“My brother and another close friend, are both Falklands Veterans and I fully understand the challenges our veterans can face. I also have many friends from refereeing who served in various conflicts around the world and many from our blue light services therefore, I am delighted to agree this partnership.

We already, as a business, support Police Officers, Firefighters and other blue light workers who use our facilities during the daytime and this will further enhance our appreciation for these men and woman who keep our country and us safe on a daily basis.

I have worked with the FirstLight Trust before and their services are vital in supporting veterans and their families from our blue light emergency service as well as our military service men and women.

Portsmouth GOALS will also open next month as a venue for FirstLight support and I am excited to grow this partnership that will also lead to creating Football leagues for Military and Blue Light Veterans across the county as well as tournaments that can be used to raise funds to support service users”

To see full dates, locations check out the hub activities and events calendar.

For more information on FirstLight Trust’s collaboration with Goals, please contact riah.bunce@firstlightrust.co.uk or call 02392583099.