Our Story
The Ripple Pond is the only UK charity to exist solely to support the adult family members of physically or psychologically injured British Armed Forces personnel and veterans. We're Your Forces Family Community.
The Ripple Pond is a charity founded on the principles of mutual support and understanding for those caring for loved ones within the Armed Forces community.
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Our vision is clear and unwavering: to ensure that everyone in this unique caregiving role “feels seen, heard, and supported.” Recognising the immense challenges faced by carers, our mission focuses on reducing isolation, building confidence, fostering resilience, empowering individuals, improving understanding, and enhancing overall well-being.
Vision and Aims
At The Ripple Pond, we are committed to creating a community where no carer feels alone. Our vision is to make sure every caregiver in the Armed Forces community has access to the support and resources they need. We aim to reduce the isolation that many carers experience by connecting them with others who understand their journey. By building confidence and resilience, we empower carers to face their challenges head-on. Our focus on improving understanding and well-being ensures that carers are not only supported but also valued and recognised for their crucial role.
Our Principles
Our principles are the foundation of everything we do at The Ripple Pond:
Peer-Led: We believe in the power of shared experiences. Our support groups and services are led by peers who have walked the same path, providing a unique and authentic form of support.
Accessible: We strive to make our services available to all carers, regardless of their location or circumstances. Accessibility is key to ensuring that no one is left behind.
Inclusive: Our community is open to all carers within the Armed Forces, recognising and celebrating the diversity of experiences and backgrounds.
Relevant: We continuously adapt our services to meet the changing needs of carers, ensuring that our support remains pertinent and effective.
Collaborative: We work in partnership with other organisations and stakeholders to enhance the support network for carers, creating a more comprehensive and effective system of care.
Responsive: Our approach is flexible and adaptable, allowing us to respond quickly to the evolving needs of carers.
Global: Understanding that the Armed Forces community spans the globe, we offer support to carers wherever they are, ensuring our reach is as extensive as possible.
Our Values
Our values shape the way we interact with our community and guide our everyday actions:
Welcoming: We create a warm and inviting atmosphere where every carer feels valued and accepted.
Non-Judgemental: We offer a safe space where carers can share their experiences without fear of judgment.
Listening: We prioritise active listening, ensuring that carers feel truly heard and understood.
Open and Honest: Transparency and honesty are central to our communication, fostering trust and reliability.
Personal: We recognise the individual experiences of each carer and offer personalised support tailored to their unique needs.
Caring: Compassion is at the heart of our organisation. We care deeply about the well-being of every carer in our community.
Our Impact
Through our peer-led support groups, accessible resources, and inclusive practices, The Ripple Pond has made a significant impact on the lives of many carers. By reducing isolation and building confidence, we empower carers to navigate their challenges with resilience and strength. Our collaborative and responsive approach ensures that we can adapt to the needs of carers, providing relevant support that improves their well-being.
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The Ripple Pond stands as a beacon of hope and support for carers within the Armed Forces community. Guided by our principles and values, we are dedicated to making a lasting difference in the lives of those who give so much in caring for their loved ones. Through our efforts, we ensure that every carer feels seen, heard, and supported, creating a ripple effect of positive change and empowerment.
Our Founders
Julia Molony
After my son was physically injured whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2009, I found that there was no emotional support for family members. Because of my profession as a psychotherapist I knew the power of self-help and group-support, and decided that this was something that needed to be made available to all those suffering from secondary trauma as a result of a family member having been injured, physically or emotionally, whilst serving in the Armed Forces. In February 2012, I set up and launched The Ripple Pond, with the two main aims: • to take away isolation • to foster independence, and autonomy in order to aid recovery from secondary trauma. I called my concept The Ripple Pond based on two facts: 1. My son’s injury was the brick thrown into the pond, and his wife and I, his father and siblings were the next in line to reel from that trauma, with his step-father and other close family members being slightly less traumatised by the effects, but nonetheless affected. I was struck too by how friends and colleagues were impacted to lesser degrees and this caused me to think of the ripple effect. I believe a ‘second’ trauma occurs when someone close to us is injured and as such I think this trauma needs to be recognised and space needs to be provided to let the trauma dissolve and flow away. 2. The second reason for the name is that I wanted this concept, which started as a group in Brighton, to ‘ripple’ round the country. Indeed the membership has grown and now provides a place where many such family members can talk freely about their emotions and their difficulties, knowing they are not going to be judged or found wanting in any way, but rather that they are accepted and supported, which in turn helps them to provide the support and care that their injured loved one needs, as well as encouraging them to be self-motivated in resolving their own trauma. All adults impacted by such a secondary trauma, caused by a family member serving or having served in the Armed Forces, including the families of Reservists, can become part of The Ripple Pond Family and find the care and support that I so desperately needed in those difficult times back in 2009.
Sue Hawkins
Our son Ed, a Royal Marine with 40 Commando, was taking part in a routine patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Friday 21st May 2010, when he was struck by an IED explosion. Horrifically, his corporal had been killed in the same incident. Ed was not expected to survive. I should prepare myself for the worst, they said. His chest injuries were extensive and loss of blood was of serious concern. In military terms, he was listed as very seriously injured. The odds were stacked against him, but he survived. A mixture of things helped get me back on the right road. Some counselling, lots of writing therapy and then meeting with Julia Molony in 2012 and hearing about her idea for creating the Ripple Pond, all began to help chip away at the pain. My first occasion to share my story safely was with her. We took it in turns to speak, staggered to learn that both our sons had been injured on the same day, just a year apart. After I had spoken about our journey, I felt some relief. The ‘me too’ validation makes you feel understood, even if experiences are different. That’s not to say it is easy: it is not. And as a mother I am hard-wired to ‘fix it’, stick a plaster on it – so learning how to listen effectively and empathically takes practice. Further down the line, listening to others at the Ripple Pond self-help support meetings, I began to make headway. Telling my story over and over again, no matter how many times I had told it, helped gnaw away at the pain. Working alongside Julia to help grow her idea of the Ripple Pond from 2012 to 2015 gave me focus. Rather than being caught in the web of sadness and despair, I could see glimmers of hope on the horizon. Helping others helped me readdress my own situation. I believed there really could be a new future, with the difficult years packed away: not forgotten, just placed quietly in a box in the shadows of my mind. It has taken me ten years of wholehearted learning to reach where I am today. Michael and I have now retired to Cornwall where life is at a gentler pace….lots of gardening, walking and watching the world go by! If you are reading this and feel confused, sad, frustrated, even a little scared of the future…help is just one message away. The Ripple Pond is able to offer so much. The team of wonderful people will metaphorically take you by the hand, listen to you and guide you in a way that will empower you once more. I wish you all the luck in the world.