Saltash’s China Fleet Country Club backs Military Mate

Pull out a business card, scan the code on it, and a whole support network opens up. That is the idea behind Military Mate, and a well-known name on the Cornwall side of the Tamar has just put its weight behind it.

China Fleet Country Club, in Saltash, has been named an Associate Sponsor of Military Mate, a new resource built for serving personnel, veterans and military families across the UK.

What Military Mate does

Developed by the UK Armed Forces Engagement Initiative, Military Mate is a QR-enabled business card that links members of the forces family to an online directory. The directory covers recruitment and resettlement, housing, training, mental health support, legal guidance and forces discounts, pulling all of it into one place.

The launch is a big one. Some 120,000 cards will be handed out at more than 50 events around the country, reaching serving personnel, reservists, veterans, spouses, partners, families, cadets and forces supporters.

Why China Fleet

The Club’s name gives away its history. It is rooted in the Royal Navy and sits a short distance from HMNB Devonport, one of the largest naval bases in the UK. And the link runs deeper than the name. China Fleet Country Club is home to the China Fleet Trust, a registered charity that provides rest, recuperation and recreational facilities for serving and retired military personnel and their families.

As an Associate Sponsor, the Club will appear in the Military Mate directory. For the forces community, that means a familiar place to turn to for golf, leisure, wellness, fitness and short-break accommodation, whether it is a service leaver finding their feet, a veteran staying active, or a forces family taking a well-earned breath.

A wider door held open

Dean Bennett, Managing Director of China Fleet Country Club, said the partnership fits the Club’s character.

“At China Fleet Country Club, our connection to the armed forces runs through everything we do. Our name, our heritage and our China Fleet Trust. Military Mate is exactly the kind of initiative we want to be part of,” Dean said. “It puts practical, accessible help directly into the hands of people who need it. We are delighted to become an Associate Sponsor and to open the doors of China Fleet Country Club even wider to the forces family.”

The Club frames the sponsorship as one strand of a broader commitment to community engagement, backing causes that promote wellbeing, belonging and access to quality leisure, whether for its membership, the Saltash and Plymouth communities, or the forces population spread across the country.

For anyone in the forces family who picks up one of those 120,000 cards, the Saltash Club will be one of the names waiting on the other side of the scan.