The work of Veterans Norfolk

Published date: October 2018

Norfolk has a proud and long history with the Armed Forces, still having bases at Marham and Swanton Morley as well as a large training area near Thetford. There is a significant number of serving regular and reserve personnel as well as veterans and their families living in Norfolk.

Veterans Norfolk is an all-volunteer charity that brings together all of Norfolk’s Service Charities to help Norfolk’s Armed Forces and veterans. In conjunction with the County and District Councils, it works to look after the well-being and welfare of Norfolk’s Armed Forces and Veterans community.

The help provided by Veterans Norfolk includes: information and signposting for housing, careers after service and health matters. It also provides information about events, such as drop in centres where veterans can get together with other ex-servicemen and women.

Robertson Barracks in Swanton Morley, Norfolk is currently occupied by the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards. These are one of the Army’s reconnaissance regiments, whose role is to provide the Army’s ‘eyes and ears’ on the Battlefield.

Norfolk’s largest military unit is RAF Marham and the base is the biggest employer in the borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. One of the UK’s largest and busiest RAF stations, RAF Marham is the home of the Tornado Force and contributes more than £130m per annum directly into the local economy.

The Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Thetford is a 30,000 acre site, that provides training in routine skills, readiness activity and is a location for ‘mission specific’ training for personnel who are to be deployed. It offers a flexible, unparalleled and realistic live-firing training environment for around 80,000 troops annually.

Norfolk is also home to both Army and RAF reserve units whose personnel take part in the full range of military activity.

If you need help or know of someone who does, go to the Veterans Norfolk website:

www.veteransnorfolk.com