MOVING home is challenging - a fact that army families know only too well.

Now the Windsor based charity Family Friends has been awarded almost £20,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to support its ‘family transitions’ project which will help Windsor based army families from the Household Cavalry Regiment as they prepare to move to Wiltshire and families from the Welsh Guards as they arrive in Windsor.

The Household Cavalry’s move to Wiltshire will be the regiment’s first since the early 1800s, while the Welsh Guards have moved regularly with all the disruption to family life that creates. Army families from both regiments will be supported as they leave behind family and friends, civilian jobs and resettle in new communities and at new schools. Families from the Coldstream Guards living in Broom Farm will also be supported during the inevitable upheaval caused by friends leaving and new families arriving.

Tracy Muschamp, Director of Services at Family Friends, said: “Like many local charities Family Friends is dependent on a wide range of funders. We are a small local charity and the award of £19,969 from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust together with the fundraising advice provided by funding experts Our Community Enterprise will enable us to keep providing our much needed support to local families.”

Councillor Samantha Rayner, Army Champion for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead said: “The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces and their families are treated fairly. We are delighted that the Covenant Fund Trust has supported this project that will make so much difference to our Army Families. More funding is still available for suitable projects and I would urge local organisations to consider applying if they work with serving or veteran members of the Armed forces or their families. Information about the fund can be found on the RBWM website or at www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk."

Family Friends workers and volunteers will offer workshops, school holiday activities and group programmes including leaving and welcoming events and one to one support for all army families, regardless of rank or regiment, to help them settle well and mix easily with local people. All of the events will be held at Broom Farm in Windsor.

For family support visit www.familyfriends.org.uk

For fundraising advice visit www.ourcommunityenterprise.org.uk