Who we are
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The association was established in 1995 in Manchester by a group of ill Gulf veterans; it then became a registered charity in 1996. After returning from Op Granby (Gulf War 1 - 1990-1991), those veterans developed illnesses and could not understand why. After telling their stories in local and national newspapers, they began to realise how wide-spread and common these problems were amongst Gulf Veterans.

Hundreds of other ex-service personnel experiencing similar if not identical health problems began contacting those veterans and the need for a central point of contact became apparent. However, it soon became clear that the overwhelming workload was having a detrimental effect on the health of the veterans running the charity.

In 1998 the administration and management of the charity moved to Hull, where it was put on a more professional business footing with staff and office premises. The Board of Trustees, most of whom are veterans, help ensure that veterans of desert conflicts and their families, partners and carers are at the heart of all we do. Day to day management and administration is undertaken by 6 members of staff and a small number of dedicated volunteers.

Thousands of service personnel were deployed in both the Gulf Conflicts with many more in the current ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Many returning home develop health or social problems, requiring support from the NGVFA.

There are 8000+ ill Gulf War Veterans claiming a war pension from Gulf War 1, and over 2000+ from Op Telic 2003-2009 (Gulf War 2 (Iraq)) (Service Personnel & Veterans Agency (SPVA) April 2009). The need for the charity to remain and help these individuals and their families grows with each day.

Our Mission

The charity’s mission is :

• To enhance and improve the quality of the day-to-day lives of all veterans of desert conflicts and their families, partners and carers, through support, information, advocacy and counselling.

• To provide a safe haven for veterans of desert conflicts and their families, partners and carers to be able to talk about the impact their service has had on their lives.

• To educate and provide information for the public and health care professionals to assist and improve the support and health care provided for veterans of desert conflicts and their families, partners and carers.