Membership
JOIN BEYOND THE BATTLEFIELD AND UNITE WITH ONE VOICE FOR ALL OUR VETERANS.
Full membership is open to all veterans from the three services, plus the police, the emergency services, and anyone who worked along-side the services in a civilian capacity.
As our part of giving to you, we invite every Veteran and their families from all Services throughout the UK to become members of Beyond the Battlefield free of charge. We need to make our one voice strong and we need to make it heard. This will unite us as one Community and give us one voice.
As we move forward our focus will be on homeless veterans. Beyond the Battlefield will be able to accommodate veterans and their families whilst we work on the issues they present with. We have established Northern Ireland’s first veteran’s centre, which incorporates all our services including bedrooms to end homelessness for veterans and a café where we can aim to break down the barriers for veterans reintegrating into the community and create a space for people within the community to gain an understanding of the needs and experiences of veterans.
So if you wish to donate please log onto http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/beyond-the-battlefield/beyondthebattlefieldni
or, if you wish to post a donation: Unit A/B2 19 Jubilee Road Newtownards Co. Down BT23 4YH.
* A small admin fee may apply
Success Stories
is very important to us and if you’d like to have your say about our service and any other aspect of your dealings with Beyond The Battlefield, then this is your chance!
Your experience with Beyond The Battlefield
I spent two weeks in a coma having been blown up while on foot patrol with 2nd battalion the Rifles unit in Afghanistan. “The doctors told my family if I came out of it I would be left like a vegetable. When I got back to my hometown I was forgotten about by the Army.
Keith and his family now volunteer for Beyond the Battlefield after he survived a Taliban explosion in Afghanistan that killed his interpreter. “I was walking along an alley and because I had a radio and antennae on my back I was visible above the wall,” he said. A guy on a motorbike detonated an IED (improvised explosive device) that had been attached to the wall. “I can still remember the explosion. My interpreter was killed immediately.” Keith spent two weeks in a coma and three months in intensive care. Doctors who initially treated him did not expect him to live but he defied medical experts to recover from his horrific wounds, although the mental trauma will never heal. “There were 87 men in my regiment who were seriously injured. We were all pensioned off and left to fend for ourselves,” Keith added. “I was in a really bad place until I found out about Beyond the Battlefield when I saw one of its stands in a shopping centre.” I had been to Combat Stress, British Legion and many others who did not help me at all - Keith
William
William is another who was left to fend for himself after four tours of Afghanistan with the Mercian Regiment he was left with terrible mental scars. “I give my life to the Army and as soon as I suffered PTSD that was it, they didn’t want to know,” he explained. “Last year I was made homeless two weeks before Christmas. “I f*****g hate them. I feel so let down, not by the boys in my regiment who are brilliant, but by the bosses.” William is another who credits the charity Beyond the Battlefield with turning his life around. He said: “I’ve got PTSD and non-seizure epilepsy from being in too many explosions. I get flashbacks and my brain basically shuts down. I was in 10 explosions during four tours of Afghanistan.” After being medically retired Jason was made homeless two weeks before Christmas. It was only after a friend put him in touch with Beyond the Battlefield that he got his life back on track. “I owe Rab, annemarie and their team so much. They have helped me with housing, counselling and putting me in the right direction,” said William. “there are a lot of other soldiers out there suffering in silence. I’ve a mate whose legs were blown off in Afghanistan. He ended up taking an overdose. This shouldn’t be happening, and I’d urge any veteran who needs help to contact Beyond the Battlefield.
I joined the Army in 2000 with the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) and served for 5 years in Northern Ireland, often in public order scenarios. In 2005, I was deployed to Iraq, specifically Basra. After returning, I joined the Rifles in 2007 and was deployed again in 2008 to Kosovo. In 2009, I was sent to Afghanistan.
In June 2009, I was injured by a command wire IED. The blast severed the main artery in my neck, caused serious lung and eye damage, and severed my voice box. I was in a coma for 10 days at Headley Court from June to August 2009. In August, I was moved to Headley Court in London where I began the long process of learning how to walk, talk, and carry out daily routines and chores again.
In February 2010, I was sent back to my Battalion. Over the following months, I underwent further operations at Selly Oak and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. I returned to Headley Court in August 2010 for additional treatment. In November 2010, I was medically boarded and discharged the next day. I had nowhere to turn and no one to ask for help.
SAFFA referred me to civil counselling through Care Call in Belfast, but the six weeks I received weren’t enough. I felt worse. I began binge drinking. Combat Stress told me I needed a holiday and sent me to Portrush, which wasn’t what I needed. Their rep came to my house once a month but mostly spoke about himself. There was no genuine interest in my issues.
I was suffering from PTSD and had received no appropriate support. During a shopping centre collection, my mother picked up a card from Beyond the Battlefield. At that time, I was going through a divorce, struggling with PTSD, needed housing and counselling, and couldn’t get by on housing benefits.
That’s when I met Robert McCartney. He helped me settle, was easy to talk to, and I felt instantly safe and understood. Combat Stress couldn’t provide that. Their teams were mostly CPNs—nurses who couldn’t relate to my experience.
Beyond the Battlefield, and specifically Rab and Annemarie, changed everything. They gave advice, wrote letters, helped with maintenance support for my children, and supported my entire family.
Care Call couldn’t provide the right type of counselling. You can’t fix this in six weeks—it requires ongoing care throughout life. PTSD isn’t solved with a single session or a quick fix. There’s no magic cure.
Thank God for Beyond the Battlefield.
I was suffering badly with PTSD and Beyond The Battlefield got me the help I needed. I am so greatly to the team for helping me get my life back on track. Beyond The Battlefield really go out of their way to ensure you receive the best possible treatment and it is important former servicemen and women get in touch at times of need.
The guys at Beyond The Battlefield help me with issues that I was having obtaining financial support. The team were friendly and ensured I knew all the options available to me. I would recommend any former Armed Forces personnel to make contact!