North Yorkshire is home to one of the UK’s largest Armed Forces populations. The county includes serving personnel, veterans, reservists, military families and a wide range of organisations supporting the Armed Forces Community. Key statistics highlight the scale of this community:
- Around 12,400 serving personnel are based across North Yorkshire.
- Approximately 14,300 military and MOD civilian employees work within the region.
- More than 30,000 veterans live across the county.
- Richmondshire has one of the highest proportions of veterans in England, largely due to the presence of Catterick Garrison, the largest British Army garrison in the UK.
North Yorkshire has a long-standing commitment to supporting military communities and was one of the first areas in the country to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. Despite this strong foundation, there remains a need to better understand how people experience support, connect with their communities and access the services available to them.
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Background to the work
Previous national and local research has identified both strengths and challenges within support systems for Armed Forces communities. Research suggests that while a wide range of services and organisations exist, people often experience:
- Difficulty finding the right support.
- A lack of awareness of available services.
- Inconsistent experiences across different locations.
- Challenges during the military-to-civilian transition.
- Limited understanding of military culture among wider services and organisations
Through a two-phase programme of research and engagement, North Yorkshire Sport worked alongside Dr Rebecca O’Hanlon from the University of West Scotland to engage community members, organisations and partners to better understand local needs, identify community strengths, and co-produce a shared vision for the future. Over 70 stakeholders and community members engaged in various consultation events over 2 years, helping shape a shared vision for the supporting the armed forces community that is built upon lived experience and community insight.
Explore more
- Context fact sheet
- Explore Phase 1 – Community Mapping Finding
- Explore Phase 2 – The Shared Vision
- Learn about our use of Community Stories to build insight
Get in touch
If you would like to be kept up to date with the events please complete the form below:
North Yorkshire Sport Military contact list – Fill in form
For more information about this work, please contact Laura Young by emailing laura.young2@northyorks.gov.uk
