AN insurance company for members of the military and their families has been set up by a retired senior Army officer.

The Military Mutual has been set up by Major General Sir Sebastian Roberts, who felt that more support was needed for people in the military facing financial difficulties.

He, along with others from the organisation, have spent the past year listening to the military community, working hard to develop a service and product range that meets their needs and understands those that have served the country.

Sir Sebastian Roberts said: “When I was serving in the Army, some soldiers in my regiment were called to court for murder.

“Like a lot of soldiers, I felt like I needed to help out with their costs and their family’s costs, who also had to attend court.

“Everybody is innocent until proven guilty, and so it proved that they were both found to be innocent.

“I wanted to take the idea further so I asked my brother, who was working in finance at the time, to put a business proposal together.

“We quickly found that it would have been too expensive so it didn’t come to fruition.

“But then, six years ago, he returned to me and said that some other people were interested in the idea and that there was scope for it.

“The more we looked, the more we realised there was not much specially designed support for the military and their families.

“We're delighted that we now have it up and running. We provide better deals than other companies as they are specifically designed for the military and their families and we're confident it will be a popular service."

Nationwide research revealed that two in five members of the military family, which equates to 39 per cent, say they do not trust mainstream financial services providers.

The Military Mutual provides online transactions, personal cover, small business support, member benefits and customer service to its customers.

As it is a mutual, it means it is owned by its members and is free of outside shareholder interests.

To find out more about the organisation, visit www.themilitarymutual.com