Mel and the team had a fantastic day in Blackpool despite the dreadful weather. They met lots of people, including the Duchess of Cornwall, and raised £213.94! Sincere thanks to Mel for all her hard work in organising everything for the event, and to Emma C and Eleanor for all their help on the day.
Veterans' Weekend - Bradford
A wonderful weekend was planned by Bradford Council and we were delighted to be invited to attend throughout. Friday saw the Veterans Lunch hosted by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Howard Middleton. A wonderful reception was provided and it was a true priveledge to be there amongst so many of our brave men and women.
On Saturday the SOS team turned out in force and we spent a very enjoyable day meeting new friends and old, and taking in the activities.
On the Sunday the day began with a Drumhead Service which was very moving indeed. The Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Roger Whittaker gave a wonderful speech, and paid his respects to those lost in conflicts past and present. The entertainment continued throughout the afternoon, concluding with the Swing Era Big Band who had the crowds up and dancing to many nostalgic tunes. We raised the grand sum of £437.61 over the two days which we were obviously delighted with!
Many thanks to Lynn and Caitelyn, Bev, John, Kat and Sophie and Judith for all their fantastic help as always, and to my mum who came down from Scotland for a break with us, but did a great job with the collecting tin! Special thanks too to Capt Craig Mitchell AKA 'Mitch' and all the guys from the Royal Engineers Association who welcomed us so warmly and looked after us so well!
27th June 2008
Simonside Social Club
Tony and his wife Babz of Simonside Social Club have for the past six weeks been encouraging their members and the people of South Shields to donate parcel fillers for our boys and girls. Joyce and her husband Phil went along on Friday for the official handover and were simply overwhelmed by the generosity that has been shown by both individuals and companies alike. These will keep Joyce busy packing parcels for a good time to come! Our sincere thanks to Tony and Babz for instigating this, and to the wonderful people and companies of South Shields who as always have given so generously. Thank you to to Sergeant Paul Reid of 2 Rifles who attended the handover and to the Shields Gazette for their coverage of the day. Full report from the Gazette can be viewed here Life's luxuries sent to our front line Troops in Afghanistan
26th June 2008
Funeral For a Hero
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Uckfield to pay tribute to one of its bravest sons - paratrooper Daniel Gamble, the 100th British solider to be killed in Afghanistan. Our sincere condolences are offered to Daniel's family, friends and colleagues on this very sad day. Daily Mail
20th June 2008
Paratrooper Laid to Rest
Family and friends have paid their final respects to a teenage soldier killed in Afghanistan. Private Nathan Cuthbertson was fatally injured, along with his colleagues Private Daniel Gamble and Private Charles Murray, when a lone insurgent detonated an explosive device as they returned to base in Helmand Province on June 8. Around 850 mourners attended the 19-year-old's full military funeral which took place in Sunderland Minster. Outside, hundreds more watched the service from a giant TV screen in the grounds of the church. Joyce and Jill attended the funeral and paid their respects to Nathan's family on behalf of everyone here at SOS. ITN NewsBBC News
Thanks from Devon & Cornwall
Peter would like to offer a sincere vote of thanks to Tesco Exmouth Stores Limited for the very kind donation of a £20 voucher, for all of the very kind support given to him by their helpful staff, and to Tesco Stores Limited for very kindly offering collection dates in Tesco Stores around Devon & Cornwall.
His thanks are also offered to Jones The Boot Maker Shoe Shops, High Street, Exeter, Devon where the very kind ladies have been saving shoe boxes for him since January this year. Thanks also to Baileys,Clarks, The Parade Exmouth, Sports World Exmouth and Stead & Simpson for saving shoe boxes too.
From Boy to Man
This fabulous painting was submitted to us by Ann, who's granddaughter
painted this as the 'final piece' for her foundation course at Bangor College. She chose to do Joe, her cousin, who was brought up on a farm, and is now serving in Afghanistan. The painting shows the comparison of then & now. As Joe's mum says 'Every mother's little boy.......now grown up!'
Arthur Lane Campaigns to give lost soldiers proper burial
From Stockport Express, June 18th 2008
13th & 14th June - SOS Collections Dawlish & Torquay
Many thanks to Peter who collected £134.29 through his collection in Dawlish and £133.43 in Torquay. A wonderful result & thank you to everyone who contributed.
The Majority - The Windowframe
Kris McDonald, a student at Liverpool John Moore's University had to produce a music video as part of his coursework and has been working with Liverpool's The Majority. They have produced a song called the Windowframe and the video is intended to make people aware of what our Troops are going through.
As Steven Brocklehurst, lead singer from The Majority, says -
'We feel that a large part of society chooses to ignore what our soldiers have and are still doing for our country. Its a sense of, well it doesnt affect me so I won't worry about the consequences until its too late. I am not a politicain, i am a musician first and foremost but I can sit in silence and say it does not affect me and future generations. I have the utmost respect for what our soldiers do, I know deep down I couldnt do it out of fear, I am honest enough to admit that. But I want people to sit up and take notice of the people who have bravery few of us are born with to fight for the freedom of speech and living we are given in this country. That's why I went as far back as possible to the Great War ( WW1 ) for our uniforms because there was a 100 year difference between that uniform and the uniform the main actor wore. 100 years, not much has changed in the way we do not pay enough respect or support our soldiers past and present. I think you're doing an amazing job in trying to raise awareness and I hope our video helps in some small way to do the same.' Our sincere thanks go to Kris and to Steven for their kind words and support, please do take a moment to watch the video which can be viewed here
Sincere Thanks
Our sincere thanks go to the following individuals and organisations who have all made wonderful contributions over the past weeks -
To Olive Prewer for the wonderful Father's Day cards which have all been sent out to Iraq and Afghanistan for the lads & lassies to send back to their loved ones.
To Debbie, Brenda and all those who have sent Get Well cards for the Medical Centre in Afghanistan.
To Mrs Hartland, Miss Hutty and Kevin Wall for their very kind and continued donations. To Philip Davies MP who completed a survey and donated the £50 charity contribution to us. To Paul Inwood for his kind donation, and kind words too. To staff and pupils at Chesnut Lodge School in Widnes for their very kind donation of £62.30. Thank you particularly to Headteacher Mrs Austin for organising this.
To everyone at Carlson Wagonlit Travel Emergency Service Centre for the wondeful parcels sent to us. To Louise J too for the wonderful parcels which she's continually provided.
And finally to Gerber Soft Drinks in Bridgwater who kindly donated 240 small cartons of juice. Sam is packing these in to parcels as we speak!
Huge Thanks to Windsor School, Monchengladbach
Jacqui who's Sixth Form Secretary at Windsor School has been in touch to let us know that an amazing £3,588 has been raised for SOS by the Sixth Form students during their Rag Week. This is an incredible achievement and we're delighted that the Students chose SOS as one of their charities. Jacqui says "
We do this each year in March for one week and the students choose different charities each year. This year we raised a staggering €13,300, through sheer grit, determination and hard work. We are delighted to be sending Support Our Soldiers a cheque for £3,588." Our humble and sincere thanks go to Jacqui, and to every single one of the students and staff members involved. There are some pictures of the week below or you can take a look in more detail at Rag Week
11th June - Oliver Reuker and Levis Ashby Receive MCs
Oliver and Levis were just two of the soldiers to receive medals from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace today in recognition of their roles in Afghanistan as their proud families looked on. Many congratulations Teddy, Levis and all those recognised today, we are very, very proud of you! This is the video from BBC Look East - http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/7449566.stm
May 2008
Wirral Band In2ition donate to Support Our Soldiers
We're delighted to announce that In2ition have very kindly offered to donate 30p from every sale of their new single,
double A-side Blood and Tears and Where Did You Go, to SOS! Both songs are written by guitarist Steve Mason and performed by vocalist Laura McGuigan, and are very poignant indeed.
To hear the songs, or to watch the video please use the following link. The single can also be purchased via this link. It's priced at just £2.99 and as above, 30p from each sale will go to SOS. Listen to the music
Our sincere thanks to Wayne, Steve, Laura and everyone involved with the single for this wonderful gesture.
icCheshireOnline - Band make debut release
The group have reached an agreement with the Support Our Soldiers organisation which will see 30p of every single bought being donated to the charity. ...
Scotts Farm Shop, Witchford - Collection
Many thanks to staff and customers from Scotts Farm Shop in Witchford who have collected a wonderful £33 for parcels. The collections will continue throughout the year and we offer our grateful thanks for this continued support. Thank you also to Tracy for organising this.
Fruit Juice to Selly Oak
From Amanda, our Leicester A/C - "Our fab donor of the footballs (who wishes to remain anonymous) donated to support our soldiers this week 400 one litre cartons of fruit juice. Logistically we couldnt get them out to the troops on deployment, so i contacted the WO2 at Selly Oak and they said they would be delighted to accept them for the injured soldiers there. So on Thursday evening, Wayne and Keith North, who are two wonderful guys who support us enormously (and have a nephew/grandson in the sandpit at the moment) drove to Selly in a transit laden with juice, biscuits,gifts oh and beers ! to deliver the huge care package. They were most gratefully recieved, and the guys were made most welcome there. I cannot thank our donor enough, such a very generous gift,and to the North family for their support and dedication to SOS, well done guys , and thank you.x" And from everyone at SOS our sincere thanks too, your support truly is invaluable.
Linda's Mail Mission
THE mother of a soldier serving in Iraq is appealing for help as she sets out to ‘treat our troops.’ Linda Adkins’s youngest son, Dean has been serving on the front-line in war-torn Basra since last November. See full report on Cynon Valley Leader website
18th May - Keynsham Fun Run
Kim D's children took part in the fun run on Sunday, and both wore their Support Our Soldiers t-shirts!
17th May 2008 - Pudsey Carnival
As seems to be the norm these days, the weather for the carnival was not terribly kind with rain most of the day. However we still managed to raise £85 through sales of merchandise and a further £48.40 in collections so a grand total of £133.40 for the day. Many thanks to Kat, Sammi and Sophie for all their help and to Lynn R and Caitelyn for coming along to lend a hand too.
14th May 2008 - Support Our Soldiers visits BFPO Northolt
Agnes and I were delighted to be invited to BFPO Northolt to meet with Wing Commander Ian Fancourt, Lt Col Nick Larkin and Lt Col Brett Duxbury. We had a very productive meeting and will update you more on this as we can. But the good news for the moment is that we have been given the green light on the Xmas parcels. We will be allocated an amount that we can send, and we will need to adhere to this, but the most important thing is that we can now put plans in place.
The feedback about parcels that have been sent out by SOS in the past was very positive too - well packed, clearly labelled, etc, etc! So no complaints there! Well done everyone!
By coincidence as we were being shown around the despatch area, we spotted two parcels that we'd posted out on Saturday! Shows that the system does work!
The BFPO facility itself is very impressive with state of the art equipment and dedicated staff.
Many thanks to the MOD for their hospitality and for giving us the opportunity to put our thoughts and experiences to them.
And to conclude the day, returning back to the VSC we bumped into Princess Anne! Well that is an exageration but she was coming out as were going on and managed to snap a quick picture!
Cartridge World - Bromsgrove
Cartridge World in Bromsgrove have very kindly offered to make a donation to Support Our Soldiers for every used ink cartridge taken into their store. So if you're in the area please don't throw your empty cartridges away - take them to Cartridge World!
Fairytales Balloons - Kidderminster
Fairytales Balloons have also kindly offered to donate 5% of their profits to SOS> They are a new family family business who do weddings, children's parties, face painting, etc. More details can be found on their website www.fairytalesballoons.co.uk
3rd May - Holiday@Home Meets SOS
On Saturday, Amanda from the Holiday@Home project met up with Joolz to hand over the items collected for the Troops by the congregation of St Mary Magdalene Church, Sale. A huge thank you to Amanda, to everyone who contributed, and to Joolz for collecting the items which have now been made up into parcels and sent off to our lads and lassies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
3rd May - SOS at Bromsgrove Fete
Maria very kindly organised an SOS stall at her local village fete and raised an amazing £219. She ran a 'Sponser a hot water bottle appeal' and invited people to pay a £1 to sponsor a hot water bottle for the coming winter. Cameron and his parents Carol and David spent the majority of the day manning the stall, whilst Irene spent the day leafleting and explaining all about SOS, and she along with Wendy Webster made cakes to sell. The picture below shows Cameron with Julie Kirkbride MP, who came along to lend her support.
2nd May - Passing Out Parade
Delighted to report that Kim's son Chris passed out at Catterick today. Many congratulatons Chris, we're all very proud of you - but none of us more so than your mum! Congratulations also to everyone who passed out with Chris. Well done lads and lassies - we salute you.
April 2008
30th April - 2 Yorks Honoured for Afghan Deployment
Hundreds of proud family and friends watched 600 Soldiers from 2 Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) receive medals recognising their recent operational tour in Afghanistan. The battalion returned home in early April 2008 after spending six months in Helmand Province, where they were deployed to mentor the Afghan National Army (ANA). Full story MOD
27th April - Cash Floods in for the Troops
CARING residents in and around Bromsgrove are continuing to donate hundreds of pounds in cash to British forces in war worn areas... Fantastic coverage once again from the Bromsgrove Advertiser, and fantastic work by Maria! To view full report click here
Scot's Guards Get Piper Farewell from Afghanistan
Back in February Right Flank Company of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards were led back to base from their final patrol by Piper Phil Stevenson. This is a very prestigious duty, traditionally since Scots guards were first to win battle honours, a piper has led them back from battle, and this is continued to this day. Agnes managed to obtain a copy of the photo and had this framed for Phil's very proud mum and dad!
Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancasters are currently on Exercise Tropical Storm in the jungle, including among them Joolz's son Dan. Wishing them all thevery best of luck. Full report Manchester Evening News
22nd April - Royal Navy PresentationTeam Visit Ayr Racecourse
Agnes went along to the Princess Royal Suite at Ayr racecourse to meet up with the team. She said "
The presentation was excellent, not just of interest to those with Navy connections, and if it is in an area near you would encourage everyone to attend. The team are very professional, approachable and a credit to the Senior Service". Picture shows Agnes with
Commanding Officer, Commander Justin Hughes RN,
Lieutenant Emma Blackburn, RM Shane Madison and Leading Seaman Chris Browne.
Holiday @ Home
Amanda Hill has been working with St Mary Magdalene Church in Manchester, where members of the congregation have been invited to contribute parcel fillers and messages of support for the boys and girls in Iraq and Afghanistan. There's been a wonderful response to this, and Alison will shortly be handing the first batch of items over to Joolz in Warrington for packing and wrapping. Our sincere thanks to everyone at St Mary Magdalane for their kindness and generosity, and a special thank you to Amanda for organising this.
Welcome Home!
A big welcome home to Vicky's son James! Report from the Todmorden News -
A SOLDIER who has spent the past seven months in Afghanistan has returned home to Todmorden. Twenty-year-old James, a driver in the Royal Logistics Corps, 27th Transport Regiment, said it was fantastic to be back home with his family...Full story - Soldier James back from Afghanistan
9th April 2008 - Welcome Baby Alfie
We're delighted to announce that on the 9th April at 10.03am our very own Rebecca gave birth to a beautiful baby boy weighing 9lb 9oz! Our hearfelt congratulations to Rebecca and Ben, we wish you all many happy days ahead, and not too many sleepless nights!
Cameron makes it into the 1 CSMR Welfare Magazine
Families of 1 CSMR in Munster were delighted to receive the Easter eggs collected by Cameron (see pictures below) and wrote the following in their magazine -
"All the children left with an Easter egg, which had been collected by
a young lad in the UK called Cameron Barrett from Bromsgrove School. We are arranging for a gift
from us to be presented to him in his school assembly.
Maria O’Ryan who has been supporting the guys/girls in
Iraq with welfare parcels arranged for the eggs to be
delivered to us from the UK so they all arrived in one
piece."
Footballs to the Gulf!
Amanda, our Leicester representative has spent the past few weeks posting footballs, and pumps, out to the lads! As you can imagine these are going down, (or up indeed!) really well! Many thanks go to the gentleman who very kindly donated the balls, and many thanks too to Marcia Lennon at Phillips Tuftex Ltd for answering Amanda's call for pumps and supplying 30 of these. Both the gestures are very much appreciated.
Sincere Thanks....
Our very sincere thanks go to Di who's put together a huge number of parcel fillers including facecloths, nail brushes, combs, emery boards and bobbles for the girls, mints and lollies. We're extremely grateful to Di for her continued support.
Sincere thanks too to Lynn & Mike Tucker and Remy the guidedog for more wonderful parcels, to Louise Jutsum for her parcel, to Miss K Scott for parcel fillers, Olive Prewer for more beautiful hand made cards.
A special thank you to Judith at the Paradis Cafe in Keighley for acting as a collection point, and to all her customers for their kind and generous donations.
Hike Jordan 2008 - Marcus Dimbleby
From 5th - 12th October 2008 Marcus will be taking part in a challenging 5-day trek in Jordan, hiking from the Dead Sea to Petra and sleeping out beneath the stars. All sponsorship money raised will go to The Douglas Bader Foundation, which exists to advance and promote the physical, mental and spiritual welfare and benefit of persons who are without one or more limbs, or otherwise physically disabled. The Foundation is celebrating its 25th Anniversary, and Marcus felt it a particularly appropriate charity considering the number of limb-related injuries our troops are suffering on operations. http://www.douglasbaderfoundation.co.uk
Pauline, our Stoke on Trent representative, would like to offer her thanks to the following who have all helped out this month -
Thanks to all family, friends and regulars of the Red Lion in Checkley for having a go on the name the rabbit which raised £50 towards boxes for the forces. Well done John who won Toby the rabbit for his daughter!
Also thanks to friends and everyone at Meir Tick Tock playgroup who also raised £50 on name the duck. Well done to the lady who won Freda the duck.
A big thank you to the congregation of Christ Church in Tean who for their Lent project have been donating items to go in boxes. We've received a large amount of different items including sweets, drinks, toothpaste and brushes, shower gel, socks etc. Thank you too for the £20 donation from a member of the congretation.
Special thanks must go to Sandra for organizing this collection and to everyone who donated towards supporting our soldiers
1940s Evening
Maria's 1940's do went really well. She had a singer, an air raid, got arrested as sheI didn't have an ID card. She did buy one on the black market but the ARP was having none of it so she ended up in jail as a suspected spy!. After expenses the grand total made was a wonderful £517.57! On top of that 76 bags of Haribo were also collected - part of the entry fee! Well done Maria, another wonderful result and our sincere thanks for all your hard work on behalf of Support Our Soldiers!!
Easter Update
Maria our Bromsgrove representative has had some fantastic support from the people of Bromsgrove and in particular from 9 year old Cameron who's encouraged everyone at Lickey Hills Primary School to get involved in the Easter Appeal. These are the reports from the Bromsgrove Advertiser and The Bromsgrove Standard
Cameron's Poster With the eggs collected at school
Kind-hearted youngsters from Meadows First School dug deep in their money boxes, bought more than 100 Easter eggs for the soldiers and sent them greeting cards and children from Bellfield
Junior School in Northfield also made Easter cards and collected 60 eggs.
Pauline and Margaret from Hadens in Rubery and Harveys Cleaners in Redditch ran the SOS donate £1 to buy a soldier an egg campaign.
And town MP Julie Kirkbride, who also gave her support to the SOS Christmas shoebox appeal, has donated to the Easter drive.
She said: “I think it’s fantastic that the people of Bromsgrove want to show their firm support for the dangerous and difficult job our boys and girls are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’d all like to wish our troops a safe and
happy Easter far away from home.”
Maria with Julie Kirkbride MP
Overall, across Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Redditch, 236 Easter eggs have been collected and 52 boxes have been filled with chocolates, cakes and biscuits - they will now go out to those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Olive Prewer has sent some beautiful hand made Easter cards, all individually signed with messages of goodwill, and these have been sent out to the lads in Iraq and Afghanistan together with lots of boxes of mini eggs for sharing from the team in Bingley! Happy Easter guys (and girls of course!)
Peter our Devon representative has held a number of collections in local supermarkets with the following amazing results -
Saturday, 16th February, the Co-op Store, Teignmouth £258.00
Friday, 22nd February, the Co Op Store, Seaton £237.14
Sandra Huish very kindly collected £16.42 from the local florist and Weight Watchers
This makes the grand total of Easter Collections a fantastic £1513.30
Part of the monies have been used to send Welfare packages to 243 Hospital Unit and The 3 Commando Armoured Support Unit RM, to be taken out to Afghanistan.
Wonderful parcel and message of support received this week from Lynn & Mike Tucker, and another great parcel from East Grinstead. Also lots more bags of goodies from Shirley Thompson in Cottingley. Special thanks to Shirley and to Maureen & Eric Dinsdale, Mary McHugh and Lenny Thompson who all have their 'soldier's carrier bags' on the go again!
7th March 2008
AND THE VERY BEST NEWS - OLIVER REUKER AWARDED MC !!!
181 members of the Armed Forces and three MOD civilians have been honoured today, Friday 7 March 2008, for their courage and professionalism on operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. And we're delighted that Oliver Reuker has been awarded an MC. Congratulations Oliver, and every Serviceman and woman so deservedly recognised for your bravery and courage. We are very, very proud of you all!
From the MOD website - Lance Corporal Oliver Ruecker, of The Royal Anglian Regiment, receives the Military Cross. When Ruecker was part of a Viking vehicle patrol, two rocket propelled grenades hit the vehicle setting it alight. As Ruecker dismounted from the vehicle he saw an armed Taliban fighter about to engage his colleagues as they climbed out of the vehicle. He immediately neutralized the fighter, removing a serious threat to his fellow soldiers. He then realised that there was still someone stuck in the burning vehicle. With a complete disregard for his own safety, Ruecker returned through a hail of enemy fire, and extracted the soldier from the burning vehicle. Seconds later it exploded into a ball of flames. Full report - MOD
7th March 2008
Wear Uniforms in Public, Says PM
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged Britain's armed forces to wear their uniforms in public and condemned any abuse of them by people opposed to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spoke out after senior officers at RAF Wittering advised airmen and women to wear civilian dress when they visited nearby Peterborough in case they attracted insults. Mr Brown, speaking at No 10, said: "All our armed forces should be able to, and encouraged to, wear their uniform in public and have the respect and gratitude of the British people for the huge commitment to public service they show. "I encourage the local police to back up our armed forces so that not only can our armed forces wear their uniforms in public, but they should have the gratitude of the British public for the work they do." Full report Yahoo News
Tragic War Hero Mum's Plea
THE family of a Blackpool soldier killed in Iraq is urging people to sign a petition for the release of a commemorative set of stamps.
Royal Mail bosses have so far refused to issue the set of stamps which feature the face of Gunner Lee Thornton along with other soldiers who have been killed in action.
The artwork, by renowned artist Steve McQueen, has been the subject of much debate since the stamps went on public display last year at the Imperial War Museum.
Gunner Thornton's parents, Mick and Karen, joined dozens of other families in giving their consent for the face of their loved one to be used. Full story Blackpool Gazette
Petition to Help Our Wounded
Denzil Connick, secretary of the South Atlantic Medal Association, has organised a petition to the Prime Minister for better care for wounded soldiers. Denzil, as some of you know, was seriously wounded while serving with The Third Battalion of The Parachute Regiment in the Falklands and is still being treated for his injuries. He is due to go into hospital in the next week or two for yet another major operation. Many of the youngsters serving today in places like Iraq and Afghanistan - along with those already wounded - will, like Denzil, face years of pain and treatment. This is your chance to do something to try to help them and it will only take a couple of minutes of your time. One of Denzil's sons has already served in Iraq twice and is on yet another tour of duty in Afghanistan. His other son is a Submariner. Denzil has asked for this message to be passed to as many people as possible and urges you to sign - and to get others to sign as well. So please sign and then pass on the link to those you feel should know. Just click on the link below or copy and paste it into your address bar.
A request from Ben Appleton who will shortly be taking part in the Big Battlefield Bike Ride - "I am about to embark on a 350 mile charity bike ride around the WWI & II battlefields of France, I am doing this in aide of Help for Heroes which is a charity that has been set up to help wounded service personnel from current theaters of war. As a member of the British T.A. reserves I know how important their work is and would like to do my best for them. To take part in the ride I have to raise £2000 pounds, to help with this I would like to hold a raffle or auction.
I would be very grateful if you could offer any support for this, please feel free to visit my websites for more information. Just Giving - Ben Appleton
If you can help or would like more information I would love to hear from you.
Regards,
Ben Appleton"
Haden's of Rubery Support Our Soldiers
Many thanks to Pauline and Margaret who are publicising SOS at Haden's of Rubery. According to Maria, our Bromsgrove representative, the girls won't let anyone out of the shop without making some contribution! Well done Pauline and Margaret!
Damart Donates Thermals!
We're delighted to announce that Damart have very kindly pledged around 9,000 items of thermal clothing to help keep the lads and lassies warm. This donation was organised by Judith, our Bingley representative and John Bottomley, Marketing Director at Damart and we're extemely grateful to them. As temperatures are starting to increase in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the thermals will be stored over the summer and despatched later in the year when temperatures begin to fall once again.
Kim and Joyce, our Newcastle and Sunderland representatives set up stall at Dobbie's Garden Centre in Ponteland on Saturday and raised a wonderful £273.34 from donations plus a further £21 from the sale of SOS merchandise.
Sincere thanks to Kim and Joyce for arranging this, to Graham Darling and Audrey Gardener of Dobbie's who kindly gave permission for the collection to go ahead, to all the staff at the garden centre for their help, to Tracy for lending a hand, and to all the members of the public who gave so generously.
February 2008
Sincere Thanks
Our sincere thanks go to the following individuals and organisations who have all made wonderful contributions over the past weeks -
To Olive Prewer, Joyce Royle and Brenda Bishop for the wonderful hand made greetings, Valentines and Mothers Day cards which have all been sent out to Iraq and Afghanistan for the lads and lassies to send back to their loved ones.
To David and Stuart of Barter Books in Alnwick for the wonderful donation of 70 paperback books collected by Kim.
Also to Durham Police Force who donated two bin bags of paperback books for Kim's Book Bundle Appeal.
To Michelle Rashleigh who held a raffle at her work, Scott Brothers Farm Shop, and raised a wonderful £436.26
To Donald Asset Management Ltd who sponsored a water bottle from Maria for an amazing and very generous £100
To Marie in Sunderland who held an SOS Dedication day at Barclay's call centre and raised a fantastic £400. And on top of this Barclay's have pledged to match this amount, so a great result and the effort very much appreciated.
To Mrs Norma Merritt and everyone at Doxford Park Estate Forum in Sunderland who presented Joyce, our Sunderland representative, with a very generous cheque for £100
To Sam Eaton, Andrew & Sarah Chinappa, Mr & Mrs Stark, Stuart Rich and everyone at Vygon (UK) Ltd, for fabulous parcels and parcel fillers.
Thank you one and all.
New Website Launched - Veterans In Need; "Strike Us Not With Impunity"
Our new Veterans' group have so far;
1. Raised the issues of Veterans Homes in Scotland and have lobbied long and hard. We have argued for 30 million pounds to be spent on upgrading Veterans Homes in Scotland and won!
2. We have forces Perth & Kinross Council, through Holyrood and Westminster not to means test War Pensions, which means that all invalided Veterans and their families will receive full housing benefit and full council tax rebate and also get all their illegally paid rent money back.
3. We have successfully resolved issues for 300+ Veterans and paid for the expenses out of our own pockets.
4. The Scottish Sun ran a 2 page article to help launch our group nationally but printed the wrong website address.
Our Group is, Veterans In Need; Motto is "Strike Us Not With Impunity"
our website address iswww.we-leave-no-veteran-behind.comPlease take a look and sign our guestbook!
Irish Guards Parade, Liverpool 2nd February 2008
Mary, Michelle, Emma and I were delighted to be invited to attend the Irish Guards Parade on Saturday. What a wonderful day this was, it will truly live in our memories for a long, long time to come.
The day began at the Anglican cathedral with a service to celebrate the exercising of the freedom of the City of Liverpool. This was led by Canon Anthony Hawley, Vice-Dean of Liverpool, Father John Thompson, Parish Priest of St Francis de Sales, Walton, Father Nicholas Gosnell CF (RC), Chaplain 1st Battalion Irish Guards and Dean of the Military Cathedral of St Michael and St George, Aldershot. Music was provided by The Band of the Irish Guards under the direction of Maj C Barmwell BBCM psm IG and the Irish Guards Singers under the direction of Mr John Hyland.
The parade then assembled to march through the City of Liverpool. This was a wonderful site to see, more than 200 Irish Guards, afffiliated Army Cadets and members of the Irish Guards Association all cheered on by the crowds.
Many thanks to Jim of the Irish Guards Association for allowing us to use the pictures of the parade and the assembly at St John's Garden as shown below.
Parade aseembles outside the cathedral
Proudly marching through the streets of Liverpool
Assembled at St John's Gardens
Members of 1st Battalion Irish Guards
Members of the Pipe Band
Outside St Georges Hall the salute was taken by the Lord Mayor and then at St John's Gardens, Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts unveiled a memorial stone dedicated to all fallen Irish Guards.
The plaque is unveiled
To all fallen Irish Guards
After a very emotional (and cold!) morning we moved to the civic reception where food and drinks were provided. The Major-General gave a very rousing speech, cheered on by the Guards, both serving and veterans alike. We were very priviledged to be introduced to Sir Sebastian, who was well informed about Support Our Soldiers, and it was a real pleasure and honour to chat with him.
We then went on to HMS Eaglet for more drinks and spent a lovely few hours chatting to the lads and listening to the improptu singing from members of the IGA and the playing of the Pipes.
The Pipes are calling...
A very moving moment as a song is shared across the generations
Emma C with her brother John, his new wife Penny and Kenny Owen
Our sincere thanks go to Kenny for inviting us to the day, and to everyone there for making us feel so welcome. A very proud day indeed.
And a final thank you to the three Guards who shall remain nameless, but who entertained us so gallantly into the early hours ......!
The Royal Dragoon Guards Return Home 1st February 2008
Soldiers from The Royal Dragoon Guards began returning to their bases in Germany on the 1st February 2008, following a successful three month tour in Iraq. Full story www.mod.uk
The Royal Dragoon Guards' CO, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Hyams (left) salutes with some of his men
[Picture: Cpl Ralph Merry RAF]
January 2008
Hampshire welcomes home all three services 29th January 2008
More than 3,000 people lined the streets of Winchester to welcome home Hampshire-based servicemen and women from the Army, Royal Navy and the RAF who have recently returned from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Troops from HMS Richmond, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, The Kings Royal Hussars, 4 General Support Medical Regiment, The Rifles, and RAF Odiham marched to the beat of three military bands through the centre of Winchester to a special reception in the historic city's Great Hall. Full story www.mod.uk
More than 3,000 people turned out to support Hampshire's troops as they paraded through Winchester's streets
[Picture: Corporal Adrian Harlen RLC]
Town Pays Tribute to Courageous Soldier 28th January 2008
A town came to a standstill last night to honour a soldier killed in Afghanistan last week.
The body of Corporal Darryl Gardiner, from Salisbury, was brought back to Britain after he was killed in a roadside explosion in Helmand Province on the 20th January.
His family was present as his coffin arrived at RAF Lyneham, and the cortege then passed through the nearest town of Wootton Bassett as dusk fell. Full report Western Daily Press
[Picture: Western Daily Press]
The Royal Anglian Regiment Parade Great Yarmouth 27th January 2008
The Royal Anglian Regiment exercised its freedom of the borough on Sunday, 27 January, 2008 Pictures can be seen at www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/
Cameron Calls for Help
9 year old Cameron who sent out parcels at Christmas has called on his school to help out through the year -
Well done Cameron! We will of course keep you posted as to how he gets on.
Support our soldiers
Great Yarmouth Mercury - Great Yarmouth,England,UK
THE mother of a soldier who was killed while serving in Afghanistan has called on the people of Great Yarmouth to turn out in their hundreds and support the ...
December 2007
Christmas Candle of Hope
Please do join with us and light your candle on Christmas Day to let our Servicemen and women know that we're thinking about them.
Now completed and an amazing 15,135 parcels sent to our lads and lassies overseas. Please see our Xmas Parcel pages for all the updates!
The Dolmen have released a song on to Youtube called The Eternal Soldier. Mark Vine who wrote the lyrics said "I wrote the words after watching a good friend of mine, a staff sergeant in the 14/17 Lancers go to bits after having to leave the forces due to army negligence and indifference which led to him being injured. He was given no support or help to speak of and, with the more high profile cases such as Daniel Twiddy, I just felt something needed to be out there speaking up for these brave souls. If you would like to hear it, here is the link.
The UK’s leading independent art charity, The Art Fund has presented Queen and Country to the Imperial War Museum.The work by official war artist, Steve McQueen, commemorates the British servicemen and women killed in Iraq and is a collaboration with those who have lost loved ones. However, it is incomplete - Steve McQueen's original vision was for a set of official postage stamps to be issued by Royal Mail.
The Art Fund now seeks public support to allow the artist to complete this powerful and moving work of art by issuing stamps for circulation.
Read more about the campaign and help support the artist’s work at by signing the petition at www.artfund.org/queenandcountry
Snatch Land Rovers – Meeting with Secretary of State Des Browne.
This message is posted on behalf of Sue Smith, from Military Families Support Group, who lost her son in one of these vehicles -
"To all those people who have lost a loved one in a SNATCH, we will be meeting with Des Browne on the 12th December if you would like to come or discuss it would you please get in touch with Jocelyn Cockburn on TEL: 020 7874 8452 or email jcockburn@hodgejonesallen.co.uk as soon as possible, many thanks, Sue Smith."
November 2007
Remembrance Day
Wreath laid at the Cenotaph, Myrtle Park, Bingley on behalf of SOS
These words and poster were submitted to us by David Coffey, Grandad of Daniel Lee Coffey who died in Basra on the 27th of February 2007
WILL YOU REMEMBER?
Once again as we approach the 11th of November, the day that for most of us is, or should be a time of remembrance. But possibly it will be a day for some, who will find it hard in itself to just remember what that day stands for. The young and maybe not so young can only wonder, and maybe even ask what it is that we are supposed to remember, and maybe, just maybe, if it hadn’t been for acts of terrorism or recent acts of world Governments in the late history of this and past governments then this generation could be forgiven for not remembering those who gave such a sacrifice in the past.
To remember is to never to forget. To hold is to never let go. To love is to deny yourself for another; all these three encompass what we should hold dear on this dedicated day in the world’s history.
Being born at the end of the Second World War I can only imagine what it must have been like for the countless families across the world as they saw so many loved ones leave home to never to return. I can only remember the hardship in the years immediately after the war ended as the country struggled to survive, and build itself up after so many long years of hardship, the queues and ration books for a time, and the many other things that make the heart of the British people beat so strong today.
I just about remember those days many years ago and maybe some of you can remember the same in asking “what did you do in the war daddy?” as you sat around the tea table on a Sunday afternoon and seeing the darkness cover his eyes as he tried to blot out his memories.
Today in this year of our Lord 2007 for many families of this country we again live out those same dark and desperate hours, as we remember the recent wars and conflicts of Suez, the Falklands, Northern Ireland and much nearer to home, and to our own hearts is the dark abyss which is Iraq and Afghanistan today.
For those of you who have not had to face the pain and heartache of losing a loved one or had a family member scarred and terribly injured in this latest conflict or the earlier conflicts of the Falklands then I would say to you ‘Remember, and be thankful’.
I wish to make this special appeal to you, the people of Great Britain, and especially the communities that make up this, the South West of England of Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall to ‘Remember,’ remember our serving airmen, sailors, and soldiers, many of whom come from these counties which firstly formed the Devon and Dorset regiment, now known as the Rifles.
On the 11th of November at eleven o’clock, remember them with honour, and respect for the many sacrifices that they have made in the name of Democracy and this country. Remember them especially, because they have been sent out there by this government, they have not chosen to go to Iraq and Afghanistan; they went because it was demanded of them, they went because it was their duty.
Duty bears heavy on the heads of our armed services, and we should be proud that we have men and women of such great calibre to serve us, you, me, our children, and our children’s children.
Such is the makeup of these our servicemen and women that they give of their all to serve and protect us in our times of need, both in peace and in war, but sadly as a nation we have become complacent, as we give little thought to what has, and is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan to our hero’s.
I would say to these, the respective leaders and both Governments, and to the people of Great Britain and America that on this November the 11th that each one of us "REMEMBERS" in our hearts and minds, not only those who have died in two world wars but also to wars much nearer our times, when so many have given so much for the glory of the few.
THE SONS OF MANY FIGHT FOR THE GLORY OF THE FEW, we will always remember and never forget their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of those who will follow them to gain that glory.
Yours respectfully
David Godfrey
Grandad of Daniel Lee Coffey who died in Basra Iraq on the 27th of February 2007 protecting his comrades and serving this country.
October 2007
27th October 2007
Official Charity Launch
The official launch of Support Our Soldiers as a charity took place at the National Memorial Arboretum on Saturday 27th October.
We also received a lovely letter on behalf of Prince Harry wishing us all the very best for the day - copy below!
SOS Families Celebrate Homecoming of The Vikings!
Tracy B, Nicola and Mary K at the homecoming, and with Tony Hadley in picture right!
Help for Heroes
Grant Feast has set up an Appeal to raise money for Servicemen and women who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Grant we wish you all the best of luck with this!
At the weekend Patricia Hurst and her mum in law Pat travelled over from Manchester to present SOS with an amazing 2,400 hand made cards and ATCs put together by members of the Docrafts forum. Not just the volume but the amount of work that has been put into these cards is overwhelming, and we really can't sufficiently thank every single person who has been involved in making these. And they haven't done yet! More cards are pledged and Patsi and Pat will be bringing these over and have promised to help with the Xmas pack & wrap as well.
We're also delighted to have received boxes of beautiful hand made cards from Sue Fairhurst and Lyndsey Edwards. Both of them made these so that they can be sent out to Iraq and Afghanistan, for the Troops to select as and when they need a card to send home. This is a lovely idea and again, very much appreciated.
Cards from Sue Cards from Lyndsey
Further sincere thanks go to Barrow In Furness who has sent a huge bag of cards, and to Helen Kirby and Helen Reppion who's wonderful contributions filled ten shoeboxes!
Forces Wages Petition
Dawn Stevenson, an SOS mum whose son is currently serving in Afghanistan, has started a petition to urge the Government to give subsiduary pay to frontline British Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please take a moment to view and sign.
Poppy Scotland (Earl Haig Fund) Appeal for help
Isla Campbell-Lumpton - National Convenor is looking for Area Convenors to arrange this year's collections in the following areas: Ayrshire, Airdrie and Bearsden & Milngavie. If you're able to help please contact Isla directly on 0141 221 8141.
August 2007
Charity Registration Accepted - 29th August 2007
We're delighted to announce that our Charity application has been accepted!
Support Our Soldiers is now a registered Charity, number 1120684. This really is a wonderful result and will make a big difference to us. The site will be updated over the coming weeks to ensure it's fully compliant, so please do bear with us should you encounter any unexpected downtime. On behalf of Agnes and myself I'd like to express our sincere thanks to Laurence Halliwell and all at the Charity Commission who have given invaluable help and advice during the application period.
Bingley Show 12th August 2007
Despite heavy showers the crowds still flocked to the annual Bingley Show and the Support Our Soldiers stand attracted lots of visitors. We're delighted to report that a total of £199.21 was raised on the day! Many thanks to Kat, Becky and Chris for all their help on the day.
Hand made cards and ATCs
Patricia Hurst has been in touch to let us know that she currently has 1,800 cards ready for the Xmas Parcels and hopes to reach 2,500 before the deadline. This is an absolutely tremendous result and we are very grateul indeed to Patsi and all members of the DoCrafts group who have obviously worked so very hard these past few months. The link to the site is www.docrafts.co.uk and as well as details about the project you'll also find an interview with Patsi herself!
Support Our Troops Wristbands
At Stamford School in Lincolnshire, many of the pupils are from forces backgrounds. They are encouraged to fund raise for various charities and this coming academic year have selected forces charities due to their strong connections and also due to the fact that they have one of the largest voluntary Combined Cadet Force units in the country. Many of the students join up when they leave school and six of the staff are ex-forces. The students have designed charity wristbands with the title "Proud to support our troops" and set up a website www.supportingourtroops.co.uk. They intend to raise money for Combat Stress, SSAFA and the Army Benevolent Fund. The campaign was launched by the England Cricket Captain Michael Vaughan at the 1st Test at Lord's where players wore the wristbands. This is a long term project intended to raise money and the profile amongst the public of the tremendous work our armed forces are doing overseas. For more details on how to order please contact Richard who is a teacher at Stamford School and spearheading the campaign
July 2007
Thanks from Afghanistan
Helen has received a lovely letter from Afghanistan thanking her and the children for the fantastic banner that they made, and huge thanks are also extended to everyone who sent items out!
'Hello Helen,
May I first take this opportunity to thank you for all the stuff you have
sent through, they have gone down well and now your posters are hanging
gaily in the guys bed spaces.
I have attached a group picture of the boys out here for you and showing
your personally made banner which may I add is very professionaly done and it
is always nice to see people making the effort.
The SOS is being fantastic and all the stuff they have sent through has been
brilliant. We are all proudly hanging our vehicle keys off the key rings they
sent and all of the games and toiletries, chocolate etc is or have gone
down well too.
I am leaving Afghanistan in just over 2 weeks and going home but the
responce we have had from the UK and other locations overseas has been
fantastic.
Thankyou once again Helen and say a huge thankyou to your children, Katy and
Hamish for their efforts in making the banner, we will help if the cyber men
attack if Hamish needs us.
Once again thanks very much and keep up the good work.
Kind regards,
Eddie.'
New Area Co-Ordinator - Chichester
We're delighted to welcome on board our new A/C Hilary covering the Chichester area. Hilary's details can be found on the Contact Us page. Please do get in touch with her if you live in or near to Chichester. she'd be delighted to hear from you!
Helping Raise Morale in Afghanistan
Parcel from Helen
I've also received the most wonderful banner made by Helen and her children Katy and Hamish. The pictures really do not do this justice so to describe it a little more - the banner has been made from a large sheet and has the Union Jack flag and SOS logo in the middle. Beneath is written a quote attributed to the Duke of Wellington speaking about his soldiers - 'I don't know what effect these men will have on the enemy but by God, they frighten me'
At each side is a greeting from the children - 'Soldiers are cool. If Doctor Who couldn't come they would fight the Cybermen' by Hamish aged 6 and 'I would like to say thank you to the soldiers for keeping me safe' by Katy aged 10
This really is fantastic Helen, thank you so much. I'm sure it will take pride of place in the Welfare Hut!
Parcel from Aby
I received today a package from Aby containing lots of packs of sweets and some wonderful pictures painted by her two sons, Callum age 3 and Joe age 5. These are going off to Afghanistan to help kit out one of the MRW huts. Callum and Joe, thank you so much, I'm sure the soldiers will be delighted with your paintings!!
Area Co-Ordinator for Taunton
We're delighted to welcome on board Lynsey who will be covering the Taunton area. Lynsey's married to a serving Marine attached to 40 Commando so knows only too well what it's like to be apart from a loved one for long lengths of time. If you're in the Taunton area please do drop her a line using the following link Lynsey
June 2007
Bad News on the Free Postage Front
I'm sorry to report that the voucher system proposed to Adam Ingram has been knocked back. I've received a letter via Philip Davies MP which reads as follows:
'Dear Phillip, On 21 May I wrote to you detailing my initial findings on Agnes Hunter and Karen Webster's proposals for a BFPO voucher system and stated that I would write to you again once I had examined the funding issues. I would be grateful if you could pass this letter on to Agnes and Karen. Unfortunately, whilst the Department is able to absorb the £100,000 cost of implementing the £5.31 Parcelforce rate from the Autumn for parcels between 1.5kgs and 2kgs I have been unable to identify alternative sources of funding for the £2million per annum cost of implementing a BFPO voucher system. I realise this will be a disappointment to Agnes and Karen. However I am grateful for their well thought-out proposal and it is one that I will keep in mind when considering future deployment welfare provision for our personnel. I hope this is helpful.' The Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP
I can however report that the MOD is prepared to support other causes.....
£30,000 Sex Change
A BURLY Army sergeant is having a £30,000 sex change — paid for by the Ministry of Defence. Rugby-playing former commando David Penny, 40, has changed his name to Deborah and wears false boobs under his uniform. Off duty, the Royal Green Jackets bomb disposal unit veteran is allowed to totter around the mess in stilettos, a skirt and tight-fitting tops as he awaits his op. And we can reveal his comrades are outraged — not so much by Penny's sex swap, but by the fact the ARMY is shelling out for it.
One told the News of the World: "It's nothing short of a scandal that thousands of pounds is being used this way when soldiers are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq because the MoD cannot afford the right kit for them. "A few of the lads have joked that Penny wouldn't be able to go into battle without his weapon. But when you sit back and think about what's going on, it's much more serious than that."
Sgt Penny stunned colleagues by ‘coming out' as a woman last week at Colchester barracks in Essex. He had sought permission from superiors before doing it.
On Friday we captured the soldier — who has served for 23 years—returning to his home dressed as Deborah. ‘She' is pictured in her Royal Green Jackets uniform with a new bobbed hair-do and wearing ear-rings and a teddy bear keyring. Unfortunately stubble is clearly visible through Sgt Deborah's make-up. The soldier who is said to have been disowned by his shocked RAF veteran father Charles has to prove he can live like a woman for a year before he undergoes sex swap surgery.
An MoD spokesman confirmed Sgt Penny was now living a new life as Deborah but said it was a private matter. Asked by the News of the World if it was appropriate for the MoD to pay £30,000 for a soldier's sex swap op when the army was facing £40 million cuts and while front-line troops were short of vital equipment like life-saving body armour, the spokesman said: "No comment".
L/Cpl Oliver "Teddy" Ruecker in line for the Victoria Cross
At the beginning of June, Lance Corporal Oliver Ruecker showed outstanding courage during a battle with the Taliban when he braved a hail of bullets and rockets to save a severely injured colleague, Cpl Dean Bailey, from a blazing armoured vehicle.
The incident happened after soldiers from the1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment came under attack whilst on patrol near their base close to Sangin in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.
Oliver, from Norfolk, could now be in line for the military's highest honour, the Victoria Cross. The full, and very moving story can be viewed here
The good news is that Dean is now recovering from his injuries and Oliver, home on leave, has been to visit his friend who he describes as 'the same old Dean'!
I think everyone will agree that the bravery and courage shown here goes well beyond the call of duty and Oliver, we salute you!
23rd & 24th June 2007
Loughton RBL Veteran's Day Weekend
To celebrate Veteran's Day, Loughton Branch RBL organised an event over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th June to which SOS were invited. Sadly the weather was not good to say the least, and what should have been a great event was more or less washed out. The sun did shine for a little while as you can see from the pictures below and a grand total of £40.76 was raised for SOS funds.
Hannah's Letter to Uncle Paul
Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead of the 1st Royal Irish Regiment sadly lost his life in Afghanistan on the 6th September 2006.
Paul's death has devasted all his family but his young niece Hannah has found it particularly difficult to understand his death. Paul's mum,
Hannah's grandma has requested that a letter written by her to Paul a few months ago be published.
This is the letter, as written by Hannah, aged nine years old.
The letter is also published along side Paul's photo on the In Memoriam page
Message of Support for our Troops
The following message was written by Rebecca and originally posted on the Forum section of the site. However we were all so moved by Rebecca's words that we felt the message should be reproduced here for all to view.
'Guys, this is from someone who has no real link to the forces, so I have no need to be supporting the troops as your families do. Still, I support you all 100%, and here's why.
You sign up to serve our country. No matter what you're asked to do, whether you agree with it or not, you agree to do what you're told. People can & do holiday in or by countries that are in the middle of a civil war, or facing a natural disaster and then get stuck there when things worsen. You may think they're utter idiots for going there given the situation in the first place - but still, if you're told to go and get them out, you wouldn't hesitate for a second to do exactly that. You may be asked to get involved in something that you'd prefer not to – but the thought of refusal doesn't cross your minds. It's your job and that's all that matters.
Knowing that you guys will be there no matter what the problem - that deserves a hell of a lot of respect. In fact it deserves a lot more than that. I'm a human rights person, but am one of the more realistic human rights people out there. Whilst it'd be great to never have wars & conflicts, I know that often talking won't stop things and force may be the only solution to avoid even more bloodshed.
That's what happened in the first two World Wars and it's because soldiers like you stood up to protect our rights that I have the freedom to live as I do today - to be able to criticise my government, to advocate for change in other countries, but above all to live my own life without being in fear of fascism, dictatorship or countless other evils. I'm forever grateful to the generations before me who sacrificed themselves and their friends in providing the life I lead today.
In the same vein, I owe a great debt to you guys for signing up to continue to protect freedoms around the world. It annoys me when people think supporting a conflict and supporting the troops is an "all in one" requirement and thus don't want to be seen to support our soldiers. Choosing to go to war and disagreeing with that decision is one issue and if I wish to take that up, I can only do so through direct representations to the government. It's a completely irrelevant issue as far as the forces themselves are concerned.
Supporting the troops - now that can be done regardless of an opinion in a particular conflict. Just as you guys will participate in what you are told regardless of your personal beliefs, I will always support you guys no matter what my personal beliefs. Sometimes I may agree with the action sanctioned by government, on occasion I may not. That freedom to decide whether I support something, without facing death or torture as a result of my belief, is one of the proudest symbols of freedom & democracy that we have and countless lives have been lost over the years to protect that freedom. But irrespective of my stance in a particular conflict, I will always support you & make representations to our government when I feel they are not providing our forces with the support and resources that they need for any conflict.
As it is, I write to several deployed soldiers who have few people writing to them, because I do feel it's important to make sure they don't feel forgotten out there. I send get well cards to soldiers who are injured and recovering in hospital because again, I don't want them to feel as if they have been abandoned now they are injured. And I'm telling you this for a reason. I'm not the only person who does this for no purpose other than that they support our Armed Forces. There are countless more people like me who would love to shake your hand, welcome you home and tell you that we're proud of every soldier who stands for what our country represents.
Just because you don't meet many of us, please don't feel that the whole country doesn't respect you and that you don't fit into society any more. What you've been through is something few of us can ever identify with and you need to remember that often, it's only the loudmouthed idiots who can make their voices heard and convince you that they speak for everybody in being negative towards you. For example, I don't have a particularly loud voice, nor am I particularly big and noticeable, so I can't compete with a 6 foot idiot with a foghorn for a mouth! But it doesn't make his bad attitude matter more than my supportive one.
For every idiot that you meet I can promise that they have an opposite number who supports you. Sadly they're a lot less easy to find and it doubtlessly makes you pretty discouraged at times when you can't find them. But hey, we women have a saying "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince" and I guess the same applies here. You have to listen to a lot of idiots before you find the ones that talk sense.' Rebecca
As our regular visitors know, Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg was very seriously injured in Basra in March of this year. Craig was taken to Selly Oak Hospital, where he underwent many operations and began the slow road to recovery, but this week surgeons broke the news that he will never see again. During his time at Selly Oak Craig set up a blog 'Craig's Blog' which tells his story and shows just what a brave and courageous person not only he is, but his parents, Steve and Debbie too.
Today the Daily Mirror have run a feature on Craig which you can view here
You will see that despite his own suffering, Craig is still thinking of others and has asked that Support Our Soldiers be detailed in the article.
We are truly at a loss for words, and when we say to Craig, to Steve and to Debbie, thank you, this is meant from the very bottom of our hearts. You are wonderful, brave people and we truly do salute you.
6th June 2007
2 Rifles Medal Ceremony
The Medal Ceremony took place on the 6th June, presided over by Prince Edward. Agnes went along and met up with Nicola, Bretts mum and Shelley, Joe O'Reilley's mum. By all accounts a great day was had by all, and full report and pictures will be added soon.
2nd June 2007
Terry Walker Gulf War Veteran 1990-91 conflict - Rest in Peace
Those of you who have been with the site for some time will no doubt remember Terry Walker, Gulf War Veteran and active member of the NGVFA, who worked very closely with us on the calendar project. Sadly I've received an email from Maria Ruislip, General Manager of the NGVFA, to advise that Terry passed away on the 2nd June.
Terry worked very hard bringing the issue of Gulf War syndrome and post traumatic stress to people's attention and he will be very sadly missed. On behalf of all the SOS team I'd like to offer our very sincere condolences to Terry's family, friends and colleagues. God Bless Terry, and may you rest in peace now
Charity Application
The time has come for us to register as a Charity, and as such the forms and relevant documents have just about been completed and our application will be sent to the Charity Commission next week. We will of course keep you posted as to the progress, but for the moment fingers crossed please everyone that it's accepted!
New Additions to the SOS Merchandise Range
Slowly but surely we're building up the range of SOS Merchandise and as well as our keyrings and magnets which have sold extremely well we now have window stickers, an SOS teddy, t-shirts (both adults & childrens), mug, baseball cap and mini t! Some of the items can be personalised too! You can see the latest additions on the Web Shop page. And remember 100% of the profit from the sale of these items goes towards helping our Service men and women
New Area Co-Ordinators - East Anglia & Wirral
We're delighted to welcome on board our new A/Cs - Carole covering the East Anglia area and Michelle covering Wirral. Their details can be found on the Contact Us page. Please do get in touch with them if you live in either of these areas, they'd be delighted to help out in any way they can!
Sammi Shepherd - Come Home (Safe & Sound)
Sammi has written a song dedicated to our Armed Services. She wrote when her beloved went to the Middle East, thankfully he is now home. The song is dedicated
to members of the British Armed Services - Past, Present & Future. The song can be heard on her website - Sammi Shepherd
May 2007
!!! Great News on the Free Postage Front !!!
We're delighted to report a very positive step forward on the Free Postage front. As you know, Agnes and I met with the Rt Hon Adam Ingram at the beginning of the month, and at the meeting Mr Ingram promised to look into our proposal of a voucher scheme for Forces families.
I have this week received a letter from Philip Davies MP with the response from the Ministry of Defence -.
'I agreed to explore Agnes and Karen's proposals for a BFPO voucher scheme and to write to you with my initial findings. Our initial discussions with Royal Mail Group and our analysis of potential mail volumes going to Iraq and Afghanistan have concluded that it is technically and logistically feasible to operate such a system.
This initial finding is subject to further detailed work being carried out. Based on an assumption of current deployed personnel strengths, the implementation of the £5.31 Parcelforce rate; and the use of 2 vouchers per month per family the estimated cost to the Department to refund RMG charges arising from such a scheme is £2m per annum. The Permanent Joint Head Quarters and the three Services remain of the view that a 'free' postal service should not be funded at the expense of anything else in the Operational Welfare Package. My staff are therefore seeking to identify any alternative sources of funding. I will write to you again once this has been completed.'
In addition, one of our mums has been told by her son serving in the Gulf that he's been asked to nominate a person to receive the vouchers!
So fantastic news! Not confirmed obviously but it does look as though the voucher scheme will go ahead! After three years, and more in Agnes' case, of campaigning we sincerely hope that it will finally happen, and we'll obviously pass on any updates as soon as they're received!
Staffordshire Regiment Wristbands
Mick Davies who works in the welfare office of the Staffordshire Regiment has been in touch to let us know about wrist bands that they are selling.
A small group of wives from the Regiment got together and decided that they would like to do something to raise money for charity.
Sadly it was at that time that 19 Bde took it's first casualties and as a result Selly Oak Hospital was chosen as the beneficiary of all the profits made from the venture.
It was quickly decided that the sale of tried and tested wristbands was the way
