SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is a trusted source of support for serving personnel, veterans and their families in their time of need. Founded in 1885, we’re extremely proud of our long-standing heritage and of all the work we do with inspiring people from Herefordshire, across the UK and around the world.
Useful Information for the Armed Forces community in Herefordshire
Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre
The HVSC was set up to provide a one stop shop of support and a friendly listening ear for anyone in the Armed Forces community in Herefordshire that may be experiencing issues or requiring support in other areas of life or work. They work in partnership with a series of organisations, local military charities and volunteers.
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Events and activities for veterans and serving personnel
Check out this month's events and activities calendar for members of Herefordshire's Armed Forces community:
Hereford Museum and Art Gallery Redevelopment Project - Co-Production Group: Veterans and Military Families
Hereford Museum and Art Gallery is undergoing an exciting transformation to create a modern, engaging, and inclusive space for showcasing Herefordshire's rich history and culture. One key focus of this project is to explore and highlight the lives and contributions of military families in Herefordshire, ensuring their stories are woven into the county’s cultural narrative. To achieve this they are creating a Coproduction Group to ensure that the stories and contributions of veterans and military families are represented in the redevelopment and feature within the final permanent displays.
They are looking for 8-12 individuals with lived experiences of military family life in Herefordshire, including:
Veterans
Spouses, parents, or children of military personnel
Whether you’ve experienced life in active service, supported a loved one, or navigated the unique challenges of military family life, your perspective is valuable.
Veterans Moving Forwards: Building a Brighter Future - Training Course
Co-designed by Veterans for Veterans
This training course will provide veterans with the opportunity to gain clarity about their direction in life, develop tools and strategies to help commitment to action, and make progress towards a brighter future.
The course will be split into weekly sessions of 3-3.5 hours, run over consecutive weeks, beginning Friday 27 June.
To find out more, and to register for this free course, please contact the Cart Shed Charity, either on 01544 318 231 or via info@thecartshed.co.uk.
As 2025 is the 140th year since SSAFA's inception and 80 years since the end of WW2, we are arranging a concert at Hereford Cathedral, on Friday 10 October 2025, to celebrate and commemorate these two historic and momentous events.
Confirmed performances already include: - the local Veterans Choir (with Special Forces veterans and wives), HCS choirs including the multi award winning girls’ choir - Hereford Cathedral School Cantabile Girls Choir - and The Bromyard Wind Band. It promises to be a fantastic, emotive, and enjoyable musical experience, with a 'last night of the proms' style finale.
We are open 09:00 - 17:00, Monday to Thursday, and 09:00 - 16:00 on Friday.
Meet the team
The team at SSAFA Herefordshire is dedicated to helping veterans, service personnel, and their families, in the local community. Our commitment is to provide support with experienced, non-judgemental and friendly advice, as well as a variety of practical services that cover a range of emotional, practical and financial issues. We are proud to say that we help our Armed Forces family whenever they need us, for as long as they need us. Here at SSAFA Herefordshire, we have a variety of different personalities that together make our team so special.
Penny Taylor
Branch Secretary
Penny served in Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps as a midwife. On leaving the service she continued to work as a midwife in the NHS . Penny joined SSAFA in 2002 and as she moved around the country has volunteered in three different Branches - Aldershot, Shrewsbury and Herefordshire, as caseworker and now Branch Secretary. Penny enjoys helping clients who approach SSAFA for help.
Kevin Ebsworth
Branch Treasurer
Kevin served for 23 years as a logistician in the Royal Navy, travelling the world on a variety of ships (grey funnel line), and in the late 70s was based for 2 years at HMS Tamar in Hong Kong. On leaving the Services, he went on to have a second career in Financial Services working with two high street banks and some time being self-employed. Kevin became a volunteer caseworker in 2009 and took on the role of Branch Treasurer in 2010, providing valuable support to both caseworkers and clients.
Philip Chandler
Divisional Secretary
Philip is a retired health and safety consultant. Phil has had the opportunity to work overseas in most of Europe and parts of Africa. Phil was in the Royal Corp of Signals for 24 years and served in the Army Cadets as an Adult Instructor for another 26 years after he retired from his Army career as a reservist. Phil was a full member of Longtown Mountain Rescue for over 20 years and is now an honorary member. Phil started as a caseworker for SSAFA and has progressed to being the Divisional Secretary for SSAFA Herefordshire.
Volunteer with us
We love what we do. The sense of pride you get when you know you’ve helped someone get their independence and dignity back is extraordinary. Through volunteering for SSAFA Herefordshire, you’ll have the chance to meet some truly inspiring people, with stories you’ll never forget. You’ll also gain new skills and experiences, but most importantly, you’ll make a difference in the lives of those who have dedicated their lives, often at great sacrifice, to protect and serve our country.