We must also remember those who made sacrifices in conflicts that followed that war. During the world war two, the RAF played a significant part in turning the war in Europe—its most significant campaign being the battle of Britain. Approximately 70,000 RAF personnel lost their lives defending our country and our peoples. I am also sure that most of you will have seen the graphic pictures of Bluff Cove during the Falklands war in the early 1980s. British forces including, again, many from Wales, lost their lives or were severely injured during that conflict. We will never forget those who have paid the ultimate price and all those who survived, some with serious injuries, to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. 

Earlier this year, the Welsh Government was proud to provide Conwy County Borough Council with £185,000 to support the national Armed Forces Day, which was held in Llandudno. It was a huge success, with in excess of 100,000 people attending the event. Events such as these give the people of Wales the opportunity to show their appreciation and gratitude to our serving and ex-service personnel.

In April, when I published my statement on support for the armed forces in Wales, I said that there had been a tremendous amount of progress made over the last few years in providing support for this community. Today, I would like to take some time to share that progress.

It is only right that we give back to those who have given so much to us and this is why the Welsh Government supports the armed forces community and will continue to do so in the future. We support Veterans' NHS Wales with nearly £700,000 annually to conduct research trials to help remedy mental health problems. The organisation is also working in partnership with Change Step, which delivers a peer mentoring programme, helping veterans access crucial health and other holistic support, including on substance misuse and advice on housing and employment.

At the armed forces expert group in September, we heard about the work of Change Step and the social return of investing in services to support those vulnerable in our communities, helping them to turn their lives around and keep them on track. I must also say that I am grateful to all those people who work with us on the armed forces expert group, and I would also like to thank the cross-party group in the National Assembly for the work that they do in supporting and sustaining the work for the armed forces community. 

I am pleased that the fast-track pathway for secondary and specialist care continues to thrive. Feedback from the Ministry of Defence is very positive. In the year 2017-18, the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee spent £77,000 to support the pathway.

We support a free swimming scheme for serving personnel and veterans, and in 2017-18, almost 9,000 swims were recorded. The scheme supports health and well-being amongst our armed forces community and enables people to come together in an environment that supports rehabilitation and well-being.

I am keen to support veterans through our substance misuse delivery plan. In 2016-17, 308 veterans received treatment to ensure their mental and physical well-being is being addressed.

We have recently published for consultation a cross-Government strategy on loneliness and isolation, with a final strategy to be published by next March. My intention is that this will also include work with and for veterans. Military charities will be consulted on the strategy, because I want to ensure that the armed forces community is fully considered. We will also work with the service family federations to determine what support can be offered to serving members and their families.

The Welsh Government recognises the particular challenges that face the children of service personnel. I am pleased that a bespoke fund of £250,000 has been directed towards the educational support of service children, and that 27 schools have been awarded funding in this financial year. Deputy Presiding Officer, last year we continued to support students thorough the armed forces bereavement scheme. This gives children who have lost parents in service a head start in life, giving back to those who have lost so much. 

Last year, the Welsh Government also provided £233,000 through the further and higher education commitment scheme to support service leavers to study and gain further and higher education qualifications. We will continue this commitment in 2019, enabling ex-serving personnel to change careers and gain employment.