Why does the Veterans' Foundation support Royal British Legion Industries?

Royal British Legion Industries was formed in 1919 to help soldiers who had been discharged from the Army through injury or illness and it is a sister charity to the Royal British Legion. 

The initial idea was to provide shelter, employment, training and healthcare for veterans and their families and this carries on today. RBLI is a separate charity, both in governance and finance, from the Royal British Legion - its distinct and consistent focus being on service delivery, particularly in providing employment, care and housing to the Armed Forces Community.

In the early 2000’s, RBLI began LifeWorks courses, providing employment support to veterans across the UK. This has since expanded, and now also courses are delivered abroad to the families of serving personnel. 

LifeWorks is RBLI’s flagship employment course which helps ex-servicemen and women back to work. Independently evaluated by the Learning and Work Institute in 2016, it was found that 83 per cent of veterans supported were in employment within 12 months – an exceptional result compared to other similar employment programmes.

Also in  2016, it re-launched its social enterprise as Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC). Today it provides employment for a team of over 100, 70 per cent of whom are either ex-service or have a disability/health condition. 

Housing and nursing care is provided via homes in Kent to those with a connection to the Armed Forces Community. As well as a range of family housing, accommodation for single-persons is available, along with assisted living for all ages.