FINAL WEEK - New surveys for Service children aged 8-18 – share your experience of growing up in a military family

 

Links for Survey:

• Age 8 - 11
• Age 12 - 15
• Age 16 - 18

NAAFI Fund -NATO Shapes

The NAAFI Fund recently awarded a £17,500 grant to NATO in Shape, Belgium to give their community spaces a much-needed makeover! This project was all about creating a centralised, welcoming space for the British Military Community.  To read NAAFI Fund’s blog post on this project, please visit: https://naafi.co.uk/project/from-dream-to-reality/

 
NAAFI Fund said:  “To gain some inspiration about how the NAAFI Fund could help in your unit or local community area, please take a look at our previously supported projects Completed Fund Projects - NAAFI
 
“For more information on the NAAFI Fund, the application process and what grants are available, please take a look at our website NAAFI Fund - NAAFI
 
“We anticipate the portal to re-open for applications in April 2026, however, we will announce the exact dates and links nearer the time via our social media and website, so please keep an eye on those @naafisocial.  If you would like to be added to the mailing list, to receive communication nearer the time so you can start to prepare your bid, please email funding@naafi.co.uk”
 
NAAFI: https://naafi.co.uk/
 

7th September 2025 : National Emergency Alert Test and Guidance for Victims of Domestic Abuse

 There will be a test of the national emergency alert system on 07 September. This will come through to all mobile phones across the country.  SafeLives have issued the following guidance for those who are victims of domestic abuse:

 

📢 A UK-wide emergency alert test will take place on Sunday 7th September 2025 at 3pm. Mobile phones will emit a loud siren and vibrate — even if they’re on silent.

 

Whilst these alerts aim to protect the public in emergencies, they could put victim-survivors of domestic abuse at risk — especially those who rely on hidden phones as part of their safety plan.

 

Please know, you CAN opt out of this test.

If you need to disable alerts for safety reasons, follow the steps here: Opting out of emergency alerts - GOV.UK

DIO Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 11 August 2025

SFA Consumer Charter – greater freedoms for families 

 

Service Personnel and families deserve homes that reflect your unique needs and lifestyles. Outdated, lengthy policies are unhelpful in fostering a sense of belonging where you can make a house feel like your home. This is particularly important given the transient nature of military life, which we know can be disruptive.  

 

DIO is committed to transforming this experience. By modernising our policies, we’re empowering families with greater freedom to personalise and enhance your homes. Defence Secretary Rt Hon John Healey MP announced the latest improvements, which include an update to policies making it easier for you to own pets and run businesses from home. In the future, you will also have more freedom to personalise and decorate your homes, the details of which will be confirmed in due course.  

 

• SFA pet policy: We know that pets are a big part of family life. Previously, families with pets were required to seek written permission through the National Service Centre (NSC) before acquiring or bringing existing pets into SFA. Under the revised policy, effective from 9 August 2025, pet owners do not need approval. Instead, you simply need to notify the NSC that you have a pet via an e-form.  

 

Permission will only be required if the number or type of pets exceeds the permissible criteria outlined in the Pet Notification Form on the Pinnacle website.   

 

• Business from home policy: Following a review of this policy, applications to run a business from an SFA home were reinstated in May. We have now revised the approvals process, effective from 9 August 2025, giving DIO single authority to make decisions on applications, as opposed to individual units. This will ensure approvals are consistent throughout the UK.  

 

For any queries related to these policy updates or for questions about your SFA, you can contact your local housing officer or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628. 

 

Providing families with floor plans 

 

As part of the SFA Consumer Charter, we are committed to providing improved, clearer information for families ahead of moves, including photographs and floor plans of all homes when a family applies for housing.   

 

Currently we are aware that a number of SFA properties do not have an up-to-date floor plan. If you reside in one of these identified properties, you will be contacted by a letter from Pinnacle in the coming weeks to inform you about an appointment, for a surveyor to attend your property to carry out a floorplan survey. This should take no longer than one hour. 

 

If your home is identified for a floor plan survey, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in providing access to your property for these surveys to take place, for the benefit of future Service families.  

 

For any queries please contact your local housing officer or call the Pinnacle National Service Centre 0800 031 8628. 

 

Personal CCTV reminder  

 

Personal CCTV footage captured from your homes (including video doorbells) is for the use of protecting your property only, and not for publishing externally. Helpful guidance on how to use domestic CCTV responsibly and legally can be found on GOV.UK. 

 

FAMCAS results show steady improvements  

 

In July, the results of the 2025 Tri-Service Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS) showed a steady increase of satisfaction with accommodation services, including:   

 

• 51% satisfied with the overall standard of SFA/SSFA, (an increase from 47% in 2024). 

• 36% satisfied with the response rate for repairs, (an increase of 10% since last year). 

• 33% satisfied with the quality of repairs, an increase from 26% in 2024.  

 

This is an encouraging sign that Service families are starting to experience the improvements that DIO and its suppliers are making, and we will continue to work to improve the SFA experience for you.  

 

UK SFA investment plans 2025/26 

 

Following the Strategic Defence Review which announced more than £1.5 billion of additional funding to improve accommodation for Personnel and families, we are now able to share our investment plans for UK SFA in 2025/26. Read more here about the investment that is planned above maintenance funding.  

In case of Emergency? IN NAPLES

 Do you know who to call in an Emergency in Naples ?

UK Duty Italian Speaker - 0039 331 611 2140  

Carabineers 112

Police 113

Fire Brigade 115

IMPORTANT NOTE : Italy s equivalent of 999 or 911 is 113 

Are you being posted overseas? Our Overseas and iHIVE Blogs hold information on your new location

 

You will find information, including comprehensive Location Guides – plus our local office’s contact details – on our Overseas Blogs at:

• Belgium (SHAPE)
• Brunei
• Brunssum
• Cyprus
• Gibraltar
• Naples
• Sennelager

For those posted elsewhere, anywhere in the rest of the World, our tri-Service iHIVE covers the area.

The iHIVE Blog hosts around 100 Overseas Location Guides that can be viewed or downloaded from our iHIVE Blog: https://internationalhive.blogspot.com/ with more being added routinely. These can also be accessed (by MODnetusers) through the Army HIVE SharePoint site Overseas Postings area.

Most importantly, our iHIVE is also available to answer any enquiries about any overseas location worldwide, whether you are in the Royal Navy/RM, RAF, Army or civilian Service communities - please get in touch with any questions you may have.

iHIVE is listed in the Overseas Supportability Checklist as an action for any Service person/family assigned overseas, in order to check that local services, amenities and facilities meet each individual and family’s needs.

Our poster has iHIVE’s contact details, or get in touch by email: RC-Pers-HIVE-iHIVE-0Mailbox (MULTIUSER) RC-Pers-HIVE-iHIVE-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk

Christmas Market Guide

 

HIVE now has a Christmas Markets Guide!

This is a one-stop-shop for all the festive markets information, and includes details about Christmas traditions in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France.

All the Christmas Markets are listed by country, along with their start dates, opening times, a short paragraph about each market and a link to book activities and find out more information. As the year progresses and more information is released, I will update the Guide.

Read the HIVE Christmas Markets Guide for 2025 here.

If there are any missing that you think deserve to be included, please do let me know on RC-Pers-HIVE-NAPLES-0Mailbox@mod.gov.uk

New BFBS Royal Air Force Documentary: Top Flight Fitness - Available to Watch Now

 

BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) spent six months at RAF Cosford following trainee Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) on one of the Royal Air Force’s toughest and most demanding courses, in a brand-new programme, Top Flight Fitness.
 
BFBS Forces News had special access to this intense and demanding training journey, capturing the brutal workouts, military theory lessons, real-world teaching sessions, and relentless physical and mental assessments that push even the fittest to their limits.
 
From raw recruits straight off civvy street to experienced service personnel, the series reveals what it really takes to become a PTI, and it’s not just about six-packs and speed.
 
BFBS Forces News reporter Kirstie Chambers joins the course every step of the way, sharing insight into the teamwork, psychology, resilience and sheer determination it takes to earn the coveted PTI badge, she said: “They didn’t just train bodies, they built minds. The women matched the men, the competition drove camaraderie, and the real test? Just keeping up the pace.”
 

Expect sweat, setbacks and serious inspiration in this must-see look inside the RAF’s most physically demanding training ground.

*** Top Flight Fitness: What it takes to keep the RAF fighting fit, is available to watch now on BFBS Forces News YouTube: https://brnw.ch/21wUzsH ***

High-res images: https://we.tl/t-yw8KF75lSC

Evolve House event on 28th September 2025 for frontline women, in partnership with Motorfinity and She’s Electric

 Evolve House in partnership with Motorfinity and She’s Electric - An opportunity for frontline women….

Motorfinity in partnership with She’s Electric are hosting an inspiring day at Stubton Hall in Nottinghamshire / Lincolnshire border on Sunday 28th September – created especially for you, the incredible women who keep everything moving.

Whether you’re part of the UK’s Armed Forces, a Veteran, or work in the Emergency Services, Police, Fire and Rescue, Ambulance services, Prison Services, Education, Social Care or the NHS – this event is a way to say thank you, and to give something back to the women who do so much for others.

Expect powerful conversations, expert wellbeing insight, a fun electric drive experience and a chance to recharge.

If this sounds like you, or someone in your circle, we’d encourage you to register – places are complimentary but limited.

Link to register:
https://www.sheselectric.co.uk/motorfinity-evolve-house?utm_source=toolkit&utm_medium=comms&utm_campaign=EvolveHouse
 

 

Give Us Time: new donor in the NE of England

 

Give Us Time have a new donor in the North East of England – please see the poster for more details and for how to book.