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The SSAFA Guild was formed in 1983 by a group of Health Visitors working with families of British Armed Forces personnel working overseas.
It soon expanded to include all professions of the Community Health and Social Services (CHSS) teams providing support to the In-Service community who were employed by the national Armed Forces charity: The Soldiers’ Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families Association (SSAFA) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Personnel were recruited from throughout the UK, and also overseas and were scattered far and wide during their working lives and when retired, making on-going contact problematical. The aim of the Guild was to facilitate on-going contact between members both in UK and overseas, whilst working and post retirement.
Central to the mission was the preservation of relationships between those who had worked together and to extend friendship and support where needed, for example during period of illness, or if bereaved. The Guild later established an archive of material to preserve the history of the Guild.
Today the SSAFA Guild is open to anyone who is working or has worked for SSAFA, and also certain accredited volunteers. The Guild currently has 88 members (2024).
The Guild produces two newsletters a year, which are sent to all members and there is also the opportunity to attend events which coincide with the AGM to allow members to meet and socialise. The Annual General Meeting is held in Central Office, London and this is when the officers of the Committee are elected.
The Guild also uses the Central Office as its address, as its members (including those serving on the Guild Committee) are scattered throughout the UK, and overseas.
