Generic and local information for the UK Military community in SHAPE/Belgium including Serving Personnel, Families, Veterans, and MOD Civilians.
This is best viewed through a personal device because the MODnet firewall may prevent access to some links.
- TOP: Location Guide for SHAPE; links to HIVE's Social Media, and a map of contact details for our worldwide network of information centres.
- LEFT COLUMN: Use the search engine; sign up to receive our weekly email updates, or find information by subject.
- RIGHT COLUMN: Contact HIVE with your specific query.
- CENTRAL SECTION: All the latest posts in date order:
Monday, 31 March 2025
HEADSPACE App A.I. Companion and Family & Friends Offer
FamCAS 25: Have you shared your views on Service family life? Time’s running out!
You can see if you are in this year’s sample, and can access the survey, by using the online tool.
Why complete the survey?
Your feedback will help us to understand what Service life is like for your family, which will help us to make informed decisions on what changes to prioritise and develop policies to address your family’s challenges and needs. Whether it’s with childcare and children’s education, housing, deployment, or employment.
Who can complete the survey, and how?
If eligible, the tool will direct you to the survey. We recommend using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
If you have any questions about this year's FamCAS, please email: Analysis-Surveys-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk
Information and support
Check out our new Families Hub, which signposts to support, guidance and organisations to help you navigate Service family life.
Visit Discover My Benefits to find out about the range of benefits, opportunities, and support for you and your family.
Forces Employment Charity Monthly Update - Award Nominations, Marathons, and Events
Forces Employment Charity’s monthly update is now available, and the latest news includes:
- Heropreneurs Awards 2025 nominations are now open
- A round-up of events across the UK and online webinars
- Marathon preparations
- Get to know Forces Employment Charity’s military women employment lead
- Satisfaction survey
- Links for further information
SHAPE: Tween Book Club is back for April and May 2025
SHAPE: After School Activities for 11+, April and May 2025
SHAPE: After School Activities for 6+ at the SHAPE International Library
SHAPE: Paws to Read, Monday 14th April 2025, 16:00-17:20
Sign-up in advance at the SHAPE International Library, for a reading time between 16:00 and 17:20 on Monday 14th April 2025.
SHAPE: School Age Story Time: Money Matters, Wednesday 9th April 2025 16:15-17:15
No need to sign-up, just come along and enjoy the story.
Programme aimed at ages 5+, but all welcome.
Five FREE Animal Parks and Attractions in and around Brussels
Click Here to find out more about:
- Brussels City Farm
- Nos Pilifs
- Roodebeek Park
- Tivoli Park
- Huizingen Domain
And as two wee extras, don’t forget to check out Jette Children’s Farm in Baudoin Park and The Little Farm of Uccle near Fond Roy.
SHAPE & BRUSSELS: REMINDER Time for You Online Session, this Wednesday 11:30-12:30
Friday, 28 March 2025
Daylight Savings This Weekend!
BRUSSELS: Mundo Pixar Experience, on now!
Visit the world’s largest immersive Pixar exhibition to date.
With almost 3,000 m² featuring your favourite characters, a journey through your beloved stories with life-size scenes: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Cars, Ratatouille, Luca, Monsters Inc., Up, Coco, Elemental, this is an exhibition, not to be missed!
The whole experience lasts about 60 minutes.
Tickets are (on average) 25-30 € for adults.
WHERE: Place de Belgique 1/Avenue Impératrice Charlotte, 1020 Brussels.
WHEN: From Now until July 2025
WEBSITE (for tickets/practical info/directions): https://mundopixar.com/bruxelles/en/
DIO Families First Newsletter - Issue 25
Serve & Protect Credit Union: April Update
🌍 Eco-Friendly Ways to Save Money
📝 Budgeting 101: Take Control of Your Money
🚀 Credit Score 101: Boost Your Score
☔ The Road to Financial Resilience
🔍 Before You Borrow: Things to Know
🔗 Register here: https://sandpcu.co.uk/webinars
NEW Fixed Cash ISA
Serve and Protect have launched their new Fixed Cash ISA for the 2025/26 tax year 💷
Secure a guaranteed and tax-free 4% AER return over the next year and watch your savings grow!
🔗 Learn more via their website: https://serveandprotectcu.co.uk/save/cash-isa/
Podcast Episodes 11 & 12 🎧
Loan sharks can have a devastating impact on people's lives and becoming a victim is easier than you may think 👤
Our friends at Serve and Protect recently welcomed Stop Loan Sharks to their podcast to explore some misconceptions, stories from victims, and the support available!
🔗 Watch here: https://youtu.be/6z-xdYbehBs?si=di6_UU_0OCTptnkB
For Debt Awareness Week, our friends at Serve and Protect welcomed the Money and Pensions Service to their podcast to explore the stigma around debt 🗣️
If you find it difficult to talk about money with your loved ones, this episode includes some manageable steps to start a conversion.
🔗 Watch here: https://youtu.be/X_PkxsAG1co?si=voGbF96Aovyafy9l
Stress Awareness Month - April
April is Stress Awareness Month, a time to understand the causes and cures of stress 😔
If your finances make you feel stressed, Serve and Protect are here to help you save and build your financial resilience.
🔗 Learn more via their website: https://serveandprotectcu.co.uk/
Service Family Accommodation (SFA) Communications Update - 26 March 2025
Reduce the risk of lead in drinking water
Lead pipes may still exist in Service Family Accommodation built before 1970, but DIO and our repairs contractors are committed to removing them during modernisation.
The risk of exposure to lead is very low but the following steps can help to reduce lead levels in drinking water in older properties:Only drink water from the mains supply in your kitchen.
Before you drink, cook or clean your teeth, run the cold taps first thing in the morning (the amount to fill a washing up bowl should be sufficient) to flush out water that has been standing in pipes overnight.
If you have been away from your home for a long period, run hot and cold taps for at least 5 minutes to prevent legionella.
The UK has a very safe water system, but these precautions will help to lower the risk. For more information visit the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s website
Reporting Sewerage Spills
Should you notice a sewage spillage or leak, please report this directly to the Pinnacle Helpdesk on 0800 031 8628 and follow Option 1 for Repairs.
SFA Roadshows
SaluteMyJob: Pathways programme to enhance cyber leadership opportunities for veterans
Recruit for Spouses: March Newsletter
BRUSSELS: Easter Holiday Camps 2025 Throughout April and into May
Visa Fee Increase - 9th April 2025
Some Visa fees will be increasing from 9th April 2025; a full list of the increases can be found here.
A summary of the increases that may affect our Service Community are in the image.
British Day commemorations in Hotton and La Roche, Sunday 4th May 2025
Royal British Legion warmly invites you to the ‘British Day’ commemorations in Hotton and La Roche on Sunday 4 May 2025. This year’s events take place just ahead of the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day.
The programme
9.00-9.30: welcome coffee or drink at the Café Le Jacquemart, opposite the Church. Parking is available nearby.
09.45: Bilingual Mass at Hotton Church led by Père Herman Kusola and Reverend Canon John Wilkinson, Royal British Legion Chaplain.
10.30: Wreath laying outside the Church, followed by a procession to the Commonwealth War Cemetery led by La Fanfare Royale des Joyeux Travailleurs.
11.15-11.45: Royal British Legion commemoration at Hotton Commonwealth War Cemetery.
13.00: Drink offered by the town followed by hot buffet lunch (€ 23 per person) at Le Royal, Rue de Ecoles 23, 6990 Hotton. Menu attached. Bookings by 27 April at the latest. Please pay FNC Hotton: BE07 0689 4241 7166, adding your name and the number of meals required. If you intend to take lunch please also inform our Joint Hon. Secretary Andrée Ferrant via andree.ferrant@gmail.com
Around 14:30: Travel to La Roche-en-Ardenne (20-minute drive).
15.00: Short commemoration at the 51st Highland Division Memorial.
Transport
Car-sharing will be organised. Please contact andree.ferrant@gmail.com for details.
Hotton and the Battle of the Bulge
More than 55,000 Commonwealth troops fought in the Battle of the Bulge and Hotton was the western limit of the German offensive in the Ardennes. The War Cemetery contains 666 burials, 21 of them unidentified. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has published an excellent article about the battle and the units that took part in it: https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/legacy-of-liberation-commonwealth-troops-at-the-battleof-the-bulge/
La Roche-en-Ardennes
The memorial above the town commemorates 54 men of the 51st (Highland) Division who lost their lives during the Ardennes Offensive. The 1st Black Watch, supported by the Derbyshire Yeomanry, liberated the town on 11 January 1945.
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
New HIVE Information Packs Available NOW!
SHAPE: Netball Team has returned!
For more information contact Rachael or Chelsea, details on the poster
SHAPE: Base Support Group Newcomers Orientation Briefings, July through October 2025
Monday, 24 March 2025
SHAPE & BRUSSELS: SHAPE Trips and Tours, Upcoming Trips
With access to the Trianon Estate and all the gardens, this trip will not disappoint.
- Book your spot now to guarantee a place and avoid disappointment.
- Both of these trips have pick-up and drop-off at Brussels too.
BRUSSELS: Bake Sales Coming Up Tuesday 29th April and Tuesday 13th May
If you fancy getting your bake on, contact Anna (Bake Sale Coordinator) to participate on Bakesale@natocharitybazaar.org
If not, come along to the area Under the Stairwells by the PBR and eat Cake instead!
SHAPE & BRUSSELS: POSTPONED Weaning Session at SHAPE House this Wednesday
Friday, 21 March 2025
Belgian Rail Strikes Continue, Please Read
Further, there will also be an inter-professional strike covering the period from Sunday 30 March (from 10pm) to Monday 31 March (until 10pm).
More information can be found here:
https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/travel-info/train-network-travel-info/strike
COMING UP: The unions will continue their protest against government measures with four new days of strike action in April, on Tuesdays 8, 15, 22, and 29. The joint front announced last month its intention to organize four monthly strike days until July. I will endeavour to keep you all updated.
Department for Work and Pensions(DWP): Don’t miss out on your State Pension entitlement
Watch the DWP video How to check your State Pension and pay for gaps in your National Insurance record on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_8GkTNgyXqs
DWP’s online form is available to request a call back at: https://ow.ly/oGbl50VarlC
VE Day 80 - Hold a Brew and Bake for Combat Stress
This year marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and Combat Stress would very much appreciate your help celebrating it with a Brew and Bake Coffee Morning for Combat Stress - a great way to bring people together over coffee and cake while raising funds for veterans’ mental health.
Combat Stress’ records show that they supported veterans from the Second World War right up until 2016. But it’s not just Second War World veterans who turned to them for help. In the 80 years since VE Day, Combat Stress has supported thousands of former military personnel who’ve experienced military trauma. They continue to support those who served, focusing on those with complex mental health issues as a result of military trauma. They also have a Helpline open 24/365 which can be accessed by serving personnel and their families.
The official Brew and Bake day is Thursday 8 May 2025 – VE Day, but events can be held on any date that suits. Every pound raised will help us provide our life-changing mental health treatment to veterans today.
Find out more and sign up here to get sent a Fundraising Pack: https://events.combatstress.org.uk/event/brewandbake/home.
BRUSSELS: The Royal Greenhouses, Open from Friday 18th April until Sunday 11th May 2025, Tickets on Sale NOW
Day visits are the norm, but on certain days, night visits (“Nocturnes”) are available. Check out the website above for more information.
WHERE: Avenue du Parc Royal 61, 1020 Laeken, Brussels.
To get a taste of it before your visit, have a look at this video: https://www.brussels.be/greenhouses-laeken
To gen up on your history of the Royal Greenhouses prior to visiting, please see: https://www.monarchie.be/en/heritage/royal-greenhouses-in-laeken
SHAPE: British Forces Post Office (BFPO) Opening Hours
BRUSSELS: Floralia at Groot-Bijgaarden, from Friday 4th April until Friday 2nd May 2025, tickets available now!
WHEN: Friday 4th April to Friday 2nd May 2025
WHERE: Groot-Bijgaarden, Isidoor Van Beverenstraat 5, 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden
MORE INFORMATION: https://floralia-brussels.be/en
Asian Hornet Traps in the Walloon Region.
Monday, 17 March 2025
Women in Defence UK Awards 2025 - Nominations Now Open, including new International category.
Help for Heroes: Seeking Help and Recovery College Courses
There is also a range of courses available through the Help for Heroes Recovery College. Information and the prospectus can be found on the Help for Heroes website: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help/recovery-college/self-help-guides/
For further details on Help for Heroes services and how to get in touch, please go to: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/
Easter has arrived at Stonemanor!
They have a cracking range of Easter Eggs available now, just hop along and see what an egg-scellent offering they have!
Friday, 14 March 2025
Euro Space Centre, Transinne
- Dress up and strike a pose
- Test the vital skills needed to be a successful astronaut applicant with interactive tests for precision, accuracy, communication, vision and more
- Walk on the Moon and Mars
- Drop into the void to experience the sensation of a free fall
- Feel the effects of Centrifugal Force on your body, like the astronauts experience at take-off
- Visit the Planetarium and take in a film on the theme of Mars and the Sun System
- Relive the big moments of the conquest of Space
- Experience the 5D Space Show in the dynamic cinema
- And fly over the Red Planet in your own spaceship.
A thoroughly enjoyable day out!