The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity has extended a contract with mental health charity Solent Mind, to continue supporting Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel and families who might be experiencing poor mental health through Solent Mind’s ‘Anchoring Minds’ service.
Run by staff with lived experience, Anchoring Minds helps military personnel and families navigate the challenges of service life by providing access to mental health support when needed. This includes signposting to support for people affected by deployment, access to free courses and resources to improve their wellbeing, or simply a friendly chat with someone who understands what they’re going through.
Home visits by service leaders with lived experience is also available to those accessing Anchoring Minds in Hampshire. As part of the extension, Solent Mind has also enhanced the service with a new series of videos exploring the emotional cycle of deployment and other wellbeing topics, as well as a free toolkit designed to help those about to experience deployment within their family – all are available on a new webpage that’s been created to make it even easier for military personnel and families to find the right support.
Caroline Payne, Service Manager at Solent Mind, commented:
“Living with a partner, child or parent in the Royal Navy or Royal Marines creates a unique set of challenges that can put pressure on a person’s mental health. With frequent moving, stress around deployment and loneliness to contend with, it’s not uncommon for military families to need some extra support. The same is true for military personnel, who also have to contend with many risks and challenges to their mental health.
“We want to ensure both serving personnel and their families know how and where to access that support when they need it. Anchoring Minds is integral to achieving this, so we’re incredibly pleased to be able to continue providing the service and helping people manage the challenges that can come with being part of a military family.”
Mandy Lindley, Director of Relationships and Funding at Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, said:
“We are proud to continue our support for Solent Mind and the ‘Anchoring Minds’ service, which has proven to be a vital lifeline for Royal Navy and Royal Marines families. Service life brings unique pressures and it’s essential that personnel and their loved ones have access to dedicated mental health support. By extending this partnership, we’re helping to ensure that no one in our naval community feels alone or unable to cope, no matter where they are in their journey.”
For more information about Solent Mind’s Anchoring Mind’s service or to access support, visit solentmind.org.uk/anchoringminds or call 0300 303 1725
