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Raised so far
Gift Aid1
| Total Raised online: | £68,062.27 |
| Total Raised offline: | £23,046.21 |
| Name | Amount | Gift Aid |
| CHRIS TWISELTON | £1.00 | £0.25 |
| David Owen | £20.00 | £5.00 |
| CHRIS TWISELTON | £5.00 | £1.25 |
| David Owen | £50.00 | £12.50 |
| David Owen | £93.34 | £0.00 |
| David Owen | £21.88 | £0.00 |
| CHRIS TWISELTON | £10.00 | £2.50 |
| David Owen | £177.00 | £44.25 |
| CHRIS TWISELTON | £1.00 | £0.25 |
| David Owen | £220.00 | £55.00 |
Help for Heroes
How did it all start? Like HELP for HEROES itself; as from little acorns oak trees grow. In the summer of 2008 I was disgusted with the ineptitude and miserly attitude of the MOD who deprived our fighting forces with the correct gear when in Afghanistan and in addition paid them a pittance to risk their lives. Our Politicians seem happy to send men to war but seem surprised when an unfortunate number get killed or wounded. What foresight! It is the job of Government to provide proper care for those they send to war.
It is now February 2012 and I am still disgusted when I now read that those same civil servants at the MOD have awarded themselves £40 million in Bonuses. This despite much criticism of the department and the fact that members of the armed forces are going through a 2 year PAY FREEZE and heavy redundancies. Over 55,000 officials (out of 83,000) are to be given this EXTRA payment whilst the servicemen on the front line risk their lives and in nearly 400 cases lost them. Is this the correct way forward in a fair society ?
In 2008 I wanted to do something to raise awareness and cash so, although 80, I booked myself to make a parachute jump. A year later I challenged our ‘enry, Sir Henry Cooper, to 3 one minute rounds in the boxing ring. All rather Boys Own stuff but, together with other smaller ideas, managed to raise around £37,000 from a multitude of generous Donors. With this we were able to provide two people carrying vehicles at Selly Oak Military Hospital and Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre. They are based at the SSAFA Norton Homes nearby where they are used to ferry families to and fro visiting their loved ones who are receiving treatment for their wounds. Regretfully, servicemen and women are still being killed and wounded in Afghanistan so more effort is required. HELP for HEROES are now running a ROAD to RECOVERY programme. Click on their website (www.helpforheroes.org.uk ) but the plan is to help them after leaving the treatment Centre’s on to their journey through life. This help for them and their families is surely the least we can do. What else? My friend, Chris Twiselton, and I put our heads together. We had the same object. What could we now do to raise more funds and thus help improve the quality of life for those much more unfortunate than ourselves? We set a new target of £80,000 plus over and above any Gift Aid received. We agreed to sell unwanted items on eBay and I also made arrangements before Christmas to have stalls at a number of Supermarkets and Garden Centres. Over 60 venues were booked and my thinking was "What are a few days discomfort for me compared to a lifetime of days for them". More recently Chris arranged an evening of humour in Chiswick at The Headliners Comedy Club and around £2,000 was collected.In addition and perhaps more importantly, Chris had a place in The Virgin London Marathon and ran for our charity HELP for HEROES . As I felt a bit left out with all of Chris’s efforts and noting that the day after the 22nd was St George’s Day I decided to support him on the Monday by ‘Hobbling a Half’. I started appropriately at the London Museum in the Docklands with my collecting tins and made my way to the ‘invisible’ finishing line half way down the Mall.
NB. Chris ran the Marthon in 3 hours 42 minutes, a fantastic time. I Hobbled my Half marthon in the not so fantastic time of nine hours BUT I finished with 3 heavy collecting tins... and were they heavy?Yes.To the tune of an extra £436 of coins for the wounded.That's how heavy!
David and Chris
www.bmycharity.com/davidsparajumpAbout Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes offers comprehensive support to those who have suffered life-changing injuries and illnesses whilst serving our country. This is provided through grants to individuals, other Service charities, capital build projects and our four Recovery Centres across the UK, in Catterick, Colchester, Tidworth and Plymouth. These will offer support for life. The money raised by the hugely generous public has been used to support our wounded, but there is still so much more to do. Soldiers, sailors and airmen who are injured today will still need our support tomorrow and in the days that follow, for the rest of their lives. They are still battling and we won't let them battle alone.
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