At the beginning of 2020 the RNRMC became part of the Military Mental Health Alliance, an informal consortium of healthcare providers, charities and other organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight working in partnership to create interconnected services designed to provide mental health support for veterans, serving personnel, reservists and their families.

Morale-boosting care packages full of gifts and treats were handed out in 2020 to Royal Navy medics fighting on the front line of the coronavirus battleground. More than 650 Royal Navy medics, nurses and medical assistants working shoulder to shoulder with colleagues in the NHS at the vanguard of the national response to the pandemic were surprised by a care package full of treats and essentials put together by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity in conjunction with corporate partner ESS.

As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation in 2020, a key priority for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity was to protect the most vulnerable in the Royal Navy community, particularly elderly veterans. Last year the RNRMC awarded a grant of £10,000 to Erskine to help purchase thermal imaging equipment for their four Homes and their Activities Centre in response to COVID-19.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal and far-reaching, wreaking havoc on physical and mental health, as well as the economy. This has led to many organisations tightening their belts and cutting staff, leaving a huge number of people out of work. Throughout the crisis, military charities have continued to work together to help those in the naval community facing financial hardship and employment difficulties.

When many people think of Royal Navy communities in geographical terms, they only think of clusters of sailors, marines, veterans and naval families around the main UK base ports of Portsmouth, Plymouth and Faslane.

During unprecedented periods of lockdown and social distancing over the last year, more people than ever have felt the sting of loneliness and isolation. Some may argue that prolonged separation from loved ones is part and parcel to all those who serve in the Royal Navy, but against a backdrop of a global pandemic and with ever-increasing enforced restrictions at home, 2020 deployments have been especially hard to bear.