Women veterans were hosted in Parliament by Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton, who is the only sitting female MP with a regular Military background, as part of the launch of Salute Her UK.

Salute Her is the only tri-service charity in the UK that focuses solely on women, provides a needs-led gender-specific support service, and is part of the larger charity, Forward Assist, which itself helps veterans across the UK through research, education, and advocacy and support projects.

MP Sarah Atherton, who is a member of the Defence Select Committee, led an inquiry into the experiences of servicewomen and veterans entitled “Protecting those who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life”.

The inquiry heard from 4200 women, some veterans, some still serving. This amounted to 10% of all women who serve in the UK Armed Forces today. Many of the women present at the Salute Her UK launch gave anonymous evidence to Sarah’s inquiry.

The scope of the inquiry focussed on a wide range of problem from kit not made for the female form, such as helmets falling down when women were in firing positions on operations and body armour made for men, to serious cases of sexual assault and rape.

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Sarah Atherton MP said: “Over the last two years, I have worked closely with Paula Edwards, who leads Salute Her UK and gave valuable evidence to the Defence Select Committee during my inquiry, so it was an absolute pleasure to host women veterans in Parliament at the launch of Salute Her UK.

“Salute Her UK provides a vital needs-led support and service and a platform for women who are struggling with the lasting impact that Military Sexual Trauma has on a female veteran. As the only female veterans charity in the UK, Salute Her and Paula’s work were vital contributors to my report.

“I saw first hand the work that Salute Her UK is doing when I visited last summer and if anyone is in any doubt of the need for a specific service for female veterans, they should visit Salute Her, speak to Paula or read my report.”

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Paula Edwards, Lead Trustee of newly formed Salute UK, commented: “It was great to see our vision for the launch of Salute Her UK come to life in Parliament, thanks to Sarah Atherton’s support.

“The event was about the women, those who have served, and those who still serve and it was a special moment for all some of the women to come together, with Sarah, after over 18 months of hard work contributing to her report.”