Charities

Hey Guys happy Easter to you all, I hope you had a fantastic weekend!

I really don’t think Marie Curie need much of an introduction, they have been around for quite sometime now, and thank God they are! For 1000’s of people up and down the country they have been an incredible support in the final days of a mother, father or other family member as they near the end of their lives. They give families that all important help to enjoy the last moments and leave them memories they can treasure. This, all in the knowledge that their loved ones are in the best of hands. I don’t even want to think about what I would do if I knew I was going to lose someone, but there is no other group of people that I would trust to help me through it than those guys at Marie Curie.

Have a look at Marie Curie’s Skinny Dip and it would be amazing if you got involved… you know I would love you to get your bangers out!

Huge Easter bunny hugs and kisses

xxx

Dare to bare with Marie Curie’s Skinny Dip

You have nothing to lose but your clothes!

Bare all and help set a new world record this summer by taking part in Marie Curie Cancer Care’s brand new skinny dip event on Sunday 2nd June.

The Skinny Dips will take place early in the morning in beautiful beach locations in East Lothian, Dorset, Essex and Wales. Shrouded in secrecy for now, the exact location of the dips will be revealed on registration. After their dash into the cold sea, skinny dippers will enjoy hot drinks and post-event festivities to warm up.

In 2011, 413 people plunged into the sea in South Wales, setting a new Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest skinny dip. This year the aim is to get as many people involved as possible to break our own record.

Marie Curie supporter Alison Powell who organised the 2011 event in aid of Marie Curie said:

“We all know people who have been affected by a terminal illness, and I think the work the Marie Curie Nurses do is overwhelmingly generous and beautiful” she says, “I wanted the skinny dip to be a celebration of life.” “It was absolutely the most hilarious and beautiful thing I‘ve ever seen – the sight of 400 people legging it into the water as naked as the day they were born!”

With three new locations across the UK, this year’s event hopes to be even bigger and better.

Family and friends are welcome to come along and join in the post event festivities.

The exact location of the skinny dip will be sent to you after your registration has been confirmed.

To register visit our website www.mariecurie.org.uk/skinnydip or call the Events Team on 0845 052 4184. Registration fee: £15, Minimum sponsorship: £85. Participants must be aged 18 or over.

Marie Curie Cancer Care gives people with all terminal illnesses the choice to die at home or in one of the charity’s hospices. Marie Curie Nurses allow families to make the most of the precious time they have left together, providing them and their families with free hands-on care and emotional support, right until the end.

The Marie Curie Nursing Service covers 96% of the UK. Our Marie Curie Hospices serve communities in London, West Midlands, Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The charity is also a leading investor in palliative and end of life care research for all terminal illnesses including dementia and heart failure.

The charity says: “Given the choice, most of us would want to die at home or in a hospice, surrounded by the people and things we cherish and Marie Curie Cancer Care makes this possible.

“But the sad fact is, every five minutes someone in the UK dies without the care they need at the end of their life.

That’s why we urgently need to reach more people – and why we’re counting on your support. Whether you give your money, time or simply your voice, you’ll help us make people’s final days as good as they can possibly be.”

To get help from the Marie Curie Nursing Service speak to your GP, district nurse or discharge nurse.

For more information visit www.mariecurie.org.uk or call 0800 716 146

www.twitter.com/mariecurieuk
www.facebook.com/MarieCurieUK

Registered charity no. 207994 (England & Wales), SCO38731 (Scotland)

I went to a fabulous evening with Centrepoint last month. While the night was full of fun (check out the picture below with me and the radio 1 team), it had a serious purpose – and that was to raise money for homeless young people.

Centrepoint supports 16-25 year olds who find themselves sleeping on the streets, on night buses, in warehouses or moving from sofa to sofa.

These young people become homeless for loads of different reasons, from escaping abusive parents to family breakdown.

Keep up to date with everything Centrepoint does on Facebook and Twitter and online.

Find out more about Centrepoint below,

Love

Gok x

Centrepoint – giving young people a future

Centrepoint is the UK’s leading charity for homeless young people. It has hostels all over London and in Sunderland and supports more than 1,000 16-25 year olds a year.

Not only does it provide a safe place to sleep for anywhere between a few nights and two years, but it helps young people get their lives back on track.

Off the streets and into work

Centrepoint supports young people into education, training or employment and has a dedicated health team that supports them with everything from sexual health and mental health to fitness and healthy cooking classes.

Centrepoint also partners with homeless organisations across the UK, offering its knowledge and expertise to help thousands more homeless young people.

You can help these young people by buying them a gift – anything from a hot meal to books for college. Find out more at www.centrepointgifts.org.uk

But this is still just a fraction of the 80,000 young people that experience homelessness in the UK every year that’s 1 in every 100!

Centrepoint was set up in 1969 and, since then, has helped more than 75,000 young people.

80% of our young people move on successfully – living independent and positive lives.

Prince William is our Patron

http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/our-patron

Diana, Princess of Wales, was a huge supporter and, since 2005, her son, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge has been our Patron.

Here’s a picture of him doing the ‘swag dance’ with a Centrepoint young person during a visit to a hostel.

John’s story

Don’t just take our word for it – here’s John’s story:
John had a troubled and unstable childhood, with his schizophrenic father leaving when he was just four years old. John’s mother would take her frustrations out on her children and as the only boy, John often bore the brunt of her attacks. John’s earliest memory is being kicked hard in the stomach by his mother. He was just five at the time.

By 15, John was regularly sleeping on benches or in a derelict flat. He was surrounded by danger, but it was still better than suffering violence at home. After four years of living rough, John’s physical and mental health was in a terrible state. He turned to drink, self-harming and even became suicidal.

Eventually, John was admitted to hospital and brought to our attention. He had his first shower for a very long time, finally feeling clean and relaxed.

Being at Centrepoint meant that he finally had a warm, safe room, which John took great delight in keeping clean. He describes it as “perfect”.

Since being at Centrepoint, John has found having access to counsellors really useful to help him overcome his personal and mental issues. He has taken advantage of life skills classes, which have helped him learn about budgeting, paying bills and cooking. John’s biggest love has been reading, with his desk always filled with books on economics, marketing, physics, philosophy and theology.

Read more stories on Centrepoint’s website.

(John’s picture is posed by a model to protect his identity)

What can you do

There are loads of ways you can support Centrepoint. Here are some ideas:

• More than a gift – Buy a hot meal, hot shower, cook book or study kit. A small gift will make a big difference to a homeless young person.
• Sponsor a Room for just 40p a day and get a homeless young person off the streets.
• Take part in an event, from running a marathon to a cake sale, and raise money for us
• Volunteer for Centrepoint – we run an amazing mentoring scheme, where you mentor a young person for 12 months. Or we have loads of other ways to volunteer, from manning our reception to gardening.

Influencing the MPs

As well as working with young people directly, Centrepoint works hard to influence policy at both a national and local level.

It talks directly to MPs and local authorities, campaigns for change on things like bringing back face-to-face careers advice (check out the amazing Nine Rooms campaign – and watch Nine’s Choice – a hard, but powerful film).

And it carries out its own research to find out the real reasons why young people become homeless, the impact it has on their lives and what can be done to stop youth homelessness.

Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter for updates and see how you can get involved.

Hey Guys,

This month I would like to introduce you to a truly inspiring and important charity WALL (Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited).

These guys work with women who have suffered or are suffering from domestic abuse- they give them the support, and often their children and families who need it just as much, to find a better life where they can feel safe and secure without fear of abuse.

We all know how important that just the simple feeling of being safe it vital to our well being, and these guys really know how to get women and children out of these terrible situations and build their lives up again.

Please read on and find out more about what they do and how you can help.

Thanks my lovelies and keep safe!

Love you

Auntie Gok xxxx

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time for romance and love but for many it is yet another day in a regular cycle of domestic violence and abuse. The fear and suffering of victims, often including children, does not stop just because it is Valentine’s Day.

Without the refuge I would be dead

These are the chilling words of Anne, a survivor of domestic abuse who now runs a successful business. Anne came into our refuge with her daughters and found the space and strength to re-build her life.

A Bit About Us

Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited (WALL) was established in Gok’s home town of Leicester in 1974 when we opened the first refuge to support women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Since then WALL has continued to provide vital assistance to all victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence and our work continues to be as important now as it was when we first began.

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone and here at WALL our aim is to continue to provide free, confidential specialist support and an advocacy service to empower victims to take control of their lives.

The Fly and The Spider’s Web – A poem by a former Refuge resident

It’s like being a fly

that flies straight into a spider’s web,

a sticky web that she finds hard to even see.

She tries to escape and struggles and fights,

and against all odds,

she wriggles free and escapes.

But she flies so fast,

so busy looking over her shoulder

that she doesn’t look at where and what direction she’s flying

and flies straight into

another invisible spider’s web.

The Facts

Statistics show that 29.4% of women & 15.8% of men in the UK aged between sixteen and fifty nine have been victims of domestic violence and women are six to seven times more likely to experience serious physical injuries as a result.

The rates of children witnessing at least one incidence of domestic violence during childhood were 12% for children under eleven years, 18.4% for young people aged between eleven and seventeen and 24.8% for eighteen to twenty four year olds.

These statistics make disturbing reading and with cuts in government budgets we do not know what the impact will be in the future

Our Work

Through a dedicated programme of education and intervention we develop the resilience, strength and skills required to break the cycle of abuse enabling survivors to start to heal and move on in safety.

Our dedicated support for children and young people exposed either directly or indirectly to domestic abuse teaches them how to express their feelings, to rationalise their experiences and to be absolved from any sense of responsibility for the behaviours of those caring for them.

Exposure to domestic abuse can result in young people, especially young men, replicating the behaviours they have witnessed and moving from a victim to a perpetrator of domestic abuse.

How you can help

Donations provide us with a vital source of income which enables us to continue to provide a lifeline to any victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Victims often come to us with nothing having left their home and possessions to escape violence.

Any funds we receive will help us continue our work in our refuges and in the community and will really make a difference to the lives of victims who come to us for support when they have nowhere else to turn.

If you can help us support victims of domestic abuse then please send a cheque payable to Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited to PO Box 7067, Leicester LE1 7WB. If you prefer you may donate by BACS to:

Sort code 56 00 55
Account number 62837117

Thank you for your support.

http://www.wa-leicester.org.uk/

New Destinies – by a refuge resident

I awoke knowing today was the day I moved to a safe place.

Sickness, fear and the unknown overwhelmed me as I fought back the tears.

I packed my few belongings. “Stay strong, stay strong” I told myself over and over again.

“You can do this, you can” I said.

As I reached down for my bags and case I thought “Is this it? Is this all I have left?”

But I soon reminded myself. “Thank God I’m alive and soon will be safe”

The taxi arrived. A man whispered “Refuge” “Oh yes” I replied. “Get in” he answered.

Looking through the window, now knowing what lay ahead I began to imagine all sorts of things.

Who will be there? What will it be like? What will I be able to do? How can I survive?

Suddenly the car stopped, I got out, I reached my destination of change.

An old house, a friendly face greeted me at the door

As I slumped down my few belongings. I cried a cry of fear of the unknown, relief of the past and somewhat a cry of “Please someone help me!”

A cup of tea was handed to me, a smile. “It’s going to be OK” came from a friendly face.

I’ve arrived, I’ve finally changed my destiny.

As I tried to sleep, tears filled my pillow, knowing nothing of tomorrow. Friends phoned me out of concern. “I’m OK, I‘ll be OK” I told them. “Just keep in contact”.

Day after day, waves of emotion filled me, more downs than ups at times, but every day in my life I start with a clean page.

Yesterday’s gone, today a new day. I don’t need to worry about tomorrow.

With support and prayers from my friends, I know I can make it through.

Through the dark days, I see a ray of hope, a ray of light leading forward to my new destiny.

Well aren’t we a lucky bunch! Christmas is only around the corner, I’ve put my Christmas tree up and even Dolly has a Christmas coat!

And because we are so lucky, its also a time of year when we really need to take a moment and think about how we can help those who are not as fortunate as us.

There is no better charity that I can think of that helps people at this time of year to have at least a little bit of Christmas cheer and one essential thing… a roof over their heads. That charity is Shelter.

Please, please, please take a moment and see how you can help their tireless work to help everyday people get off the streets and back into housing and a place they can call home.

Love you loads. xxx

75000 children will be homeless this Christmas

This Christmas, more than 75,000 children will wake up without a home to call their own. This is more than two children in every primary school in Britain.

Most of us think of homelessness as being single people sleeping rough, but in reality it can be whole families who through no fault of their own, can end up losing their home. The numbers tell us about families who have been put up in temporary accommodation by the council. While they have a roof for the night, this can mean whole families packed into one room in a homelessness hostel or bed and breakfast. Children will be sharing bathrooms with strangers, parents have limited or no access to a kitchen or washing machine, and many possessions and pets will have been left behind. It’s no way for a child to live, and no way for them to spend Christmas.

Shelter is very concerned that homelessness is rising again, which means more individuals, couples and children going through the heartbreak of losing their home.

How do people lose their homes?

It can take very little for someone to lose their home. It can be a one-off event, or many smaller problems adding up. For some, homelessness can be as swift as a job loss meaning that they can’t pay the mortgage, or their landlord putting up the rent when they can’t afford anywhere else. For others, breaking up with their partner means that one person can be left homeless, and one person can be left unable to meet the mortgage by themselves.

High house prices, high rents, and the big rise in the cost of essentials like food mean that family budgets are being squeezed. Sometimes it is a case of one squeeze too many, tipping families into a spiral of debt and missed housing payments that they can’t pay back.

How does Shelter help?

Shelter helps over a million people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness – and we campaign to prevent it in the first place.

In December alone, our helpline and local advice centre workers supported more than 1000 people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.Shelter’s teams across the country advise on debts, personal finances, legal issues, liaising with mortgage lenders and landlords, doing everything we can to help people stay in their home. If someone does end up homeless, then we help people to find a roof over their heads for the night and advocate for their right to get help from their local authority. Our helpline is open all year round, including Christmas Day.

We’re here so no-one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

For more information and advice, visit www.shelter.org.uk.

To make a donation, Text HOMES to 87085 to give £3 to Shelter emergency Christmas appeal or visit the Shelter website.

Hello my lovelies, welcome to November which is without doubt my favourite time of the year as I have every excuse to whack out a winter knit and mittens!

But much more importantly than just wrapping up is giving a little winter sunshine to peoples lives. Now we can do that in many different ways, but my favourite way, and something that everyone in the world can get involved in some how, is charity.

I want to introduce you to my charity of the month for November; the Turner Syndrome Support Society. They give vital help and support to those girls suffering with Turner Syndrome. Now you may never have heard of this but it affects almost one in every two-thousand females… that’s a lot of people! And we need to make sure they get as much help as possible.

Please read on to find out more about all the valuable work the TSSS do and how you can help.

All my love as ever.

Auntie Gok x

Turner syndrome What is it?

Turner syndrome [TS] is a relatively common chromosome abnormality affecting only females. It is caused by the complete or partial deletion of the X chromosome in some or all of the cells of the body.  The incidence of TS is approximately 1 in 2000 live female births.  There are a number of physical features and characteristics associated with TS but it is rare that they will all appear in one child, but short stature and infertility are nearly always present.  Providing diagnosis is made early enough there is the possibility of growth hormone treatment for short stature. The majority of girls and women with TS are healthy, happy and lead normal lives.

 
This is Kylie & Shona at the TSSS conference

What causes it?

The cause of the missing or abnormal X chromosome is not known. No risk factors such as maternal age, diet during pregnancy etc have been identified with an increase in risk of having a baby with TS. Parents with a diagnosis of TS during pregnancy or after birth are advised to have genetic counselling so that they can receive clear, comprehensive and accurate information about TS.

TS is sometimes suspected during antenatal tests such as ultrasound or by amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. However, it is more usual for a diagnosis to be made later, after a baby is born, because the baby girl has certain features i.e. short wide neck, puffy hands or feet, widely spaced nipples and occasionally a heart problem.

Further more detailed information can be obtained by visiting the Turner Syndrome Support Society website www.tss.org.uk

Support

The Turner Syndrome Support Society is a national charity caring for the needs of those with Turner Syndrome throughout the United Kingdom. The Society offers support, advice and information to both girls and adult women with Turner Syndrome, their families and friends. Communication with other support groups, both domestic and international is important and offers the opportunity for an exchange of ideas to help develop awareness and greater understanding of Turner Syndrome throughout the UK and worldwide.

Members of the Society receive regular copies of ASPECTS, the TSSS newsletter. The title of the newsletter has been chosen to reflect its intention to cover all aspects of Turner Syndrome from day to day living, medical issues, research, education, social issues and more, within the newsletter.

Membership offers access to a membership network for social contact with others who share the same interest and concerns. Each year the Society holds an annual conference and a number of open days around the country.  Experience has shown that one of the most important needs of those with TS and their families is to have contact with others who share their experiences.  Parents of young girls, adults and teenagers with TS benefit enormously from meeting each other at these events.  Lasting friendships are formed, especially amongst the teenagers with TS.

Some of our girls celebrating the talent that many of our girls seem to have for music and drama.

TS is a ‘cradle to grave’ condition and as such require medical treatment throughout life.  The Society actively promotes the setting up of ‘one stop’ adult clinics for those with TS and the smooth transition from paediatric to adult clinic for teenagers with TS.  Promoting greater awareness of all aspects of TS amongst the general population is one of the aims of the Society.

A number of information leaflets and guides are available from the TSSS For more information and membership details please contact: – Turner Syndrome Support Society [UK], 12 Simpson Court, 11 South Ave, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank G81 2NR

Tel: + 44 (0) 141 952 8006

E-mail Turner.Syndrome@tss.org.uk

www.tss.org.uk or  www.facebook.com/TSSSUK

I have known about the Make A Difference Trust for over a year now and I love the fact that they just make charity so much fun, yet raise money for an incredibly important cause!

There are so many incredible performers out there who bring so much joy to our lives through their performances- but in their own lives suffer in terrible ways both emotionally and physically and this is such a fantastic way to help support such wonderful people!

Please help in whatever way you can my darlings! Love you xxx

The Make A Difference Trust is an entertainment industry charity that supports those working both on stage and behind the scenes through times of chronic ill health and financial hardship. The charity actively works to support individuals to find work and once in employment, not let their health condition be the reason for them to fall out of employment. Predominantly the charity supports those with an HIV diagnosis however it also supports those with Cancer, mobility issues and cardiac problems. The charity works nationally through a network of theatres, academies and regional community service providers. The charity also works internationally through its dedicated “Points of Difference “ programme which currently focusses on southern Africa

The charity started 21 years ago when, as West End Cares – and later Theatrecares – a group of actors and writers witnessed the terrible devastation AIDS was wreaking on their friends, partners and loved ones. Whilst there are now treatments to help promote a longer and more active life, there is still no cure and the Trust is dedicated not just to support those living with the virus but through education and awareness programming to skill up a generation to be informed and know how to protect themselves.

Working in the entertainment industry as many people know is a passion, it is hard work but also very rewarding. For those audience members watching weather in live theatre, the big screen or at home in front of the TV, what is portrayed is fantasy, characters , a distant world. Unfortunately however, for many, when the make-up comes off and they return to real-life, the continued burden of ill-health, financial insecurity and growing examples of industry depression set in. The Trust is there to support when needed but also to remind audiences that behind the painted mask is a real person with multi-faceted problems and worries that if not dealt with can cause unemployment, poor health management and onward depression.

Our ask is that we would like people to sign up to our mailing lists, find out more about our work, support our events and perhaps event contribute a little to our programme work. We are always looking for fundraising ideas, volunteers and corporate sponsors, indeed anything which helps make our work as effective and far reaching as possible.

www.madtrust.org.uk/

Hello my darlings,

I would like to introduce you to my charity of the month for September; brainstrust. I met Meg Jones, the founder of the charity, recently and she told me all about all the incredible work that they do, and in particular all the fantastic people they support – both patients and their carers. I can’t even start to imagine how tough it would be emotionally and physically to deal with a brain cancer diagnosis, so I strongly believe in giving support to those who make that special difference to help patients get back to normality, or at least create an environment where their quality of life is a huge priority. Please check them out and see if you can support in any way. Oh and one thing you must do is join me on the 1st October for ‘Wear Grey for a Day’ when I will be donning my grey garments to support brainstrust.

Love you loads,

Gok  xxxx

Doctors call brain tumours a ‘rare cancer’. The disease affects an estimated 8000 people a year in the UK. However the impact of the disease is huge. Not only are the people who are diagnosed facing a cancer diagnosis, but a disease that can drastically change the very person they are, on the inside and out.

brainstrust was set up 6 years ago to help people manage this journey, and to take control from the minute they’re diagnosed with a brain tumour. The charity is currently helping over 800 brain tumour patients and carers with its 24/7 support line and innovative approach to patient and carer information. For help and advice, visit www.brainstrust.org.uk or call 01983 292405.

Next month, on October the 1st, brainstrust and over 3000 people from the brain tumour community are asking the UK to ‘Wear Grey for a Day’ to raise awareness of the impact of brain tumours, and the work that brainstrust does to make things better for patients and carers. We’d love it if you could join in. Find out more about Wear Grey for a Day, and brainstrust’s work at www.brainstrust.org.uk

www.twitter.com/brainstrust
www.facebook.com/brainstrust

Registered charity no. 1114634

Hey Guys,

I am very proud to introduce you to my charity of the month for August; Anthony Nolan.

I first found out about this incredible charity last year when they were organising an event in my hometown of Leicester. A very poorly young girl called Bethany was taken ill with Leukaemia for the third time and her body was really struggling to cope with all the chemo so the best thing for her was to get a bone marrow transplant. Now not only is this a very serious op, it’s also really tough to find matching donors- but we got the message out there and record numbers of people turned up to offer themselves as donors and go on the register…and thats why i want you lot to know about these guys and help young girls like Bethany- they are desperate for you to sign up to the bone marrow register!

Imagine if you could save a life! What a gift that would be!

Thank you my lovelies, loads of love xxx

Please read on to find out more about this amazing charity!

Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancers and blood disorders, like leukaemia and aplastic anaemia. Every day we use our register to match remarkable individuals willing to donate their blood stem cells (often known as bone marrow) to people who desperately need lifesaving transplants.

In 1974 Anthony Nolan’s mother, Shirley, set up the world’s first bone marrow register, in the hope of finding a match for her son who had a rare genetic disorder. Now, every day, we help two people in need of a lifesaving transplant by using our register to find them a donor with a matching tissue type. For these patients, we are their last chance of life.

Currently we can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to us in desperate need. We urgently need more people to join our register so we can provide more matches and save more lives.

Joining the register and becoming a potential lifesaver is a very simple process. If you are aged between 18-40 and in good health, you simply fill in the online medical form and, once your information has been checked by our expert team, you are sent a spit kit to provide a saliva sample for matching. You spit in the tube and post it back to us where it is sent to our labs for processing. If you come up as a match for someone who needs a transplant to save their life, we will be in touch.

Anthony Nolan especially needs young men aged 18-30 to join as they are the best donors for patients, but make up only 11% of our register. There are no bars on joining due to your sexuality, so gay donors are especially encouraged to sign up and potentially save a life.

If you aren’t able to join the register, there are other ways you can help out. It costs us £100 to add each new donor to the register. As a charity we need more funds to increase our lifesaving work. Quite simply, the more funds we have, the more lives we can save.

For more information, please visit www.anthonynolan.org or find us on facebook.com/anthonynolan or twitter @anthonynolan.

Hi guys, now I know you all know I like a man in uniform…but sometimes I do have to tell you about some important things in life that aren’t just bags and boys. This month I have chosen The Soldiers’ Charity as my charity of the month and it’s nothing to do with their shiny boots or starched collars! These guys do the most incredible work to help the heroic soldiers of this country both past and present! Whether that is through supporting their families, or if they have suffered during service for our country, I truly believe we should support them in any way we can! The Soldiers’ Charity are the experts at getting proper help, and getting it fast to those who need it most. Please read on about all the work they do and support them in any way you can. Thanks guys, big kisses xxx

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity has been the national charity of the British Army since 1944. We’re here to support the men and women who put everything on the line to defend us, and our country. For over 67 years, we have given lifetime support to both serving and retired soldiers and their families.

The Soldiers’ Charity was founded in 1944 as The Army Benevolent Fund with the aim of giving practical help to our soldiers and veterans. We support the Army family by giving grants to individuals and other specialist charities that help soldiers and their families.

Our vital work includes supporting veterans from every conflict since the Second World War, including those from recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We make grant payments within 48 hours of receipt, making a significant difference at a critical point in many lives.

Over the past year (2010/11), The Soldiers’ Charity has supported over 80 specialist charities and some 4000 individuals and we expect this to increase with the continuing operations in Afghanistan. In recent times we have seen a 12% increase in the number of grants to individuals and a 17% increase in the cost of grants to individuals. Our oldest beneficiary during the year was 104 and our youngest was 18 months old!.

We are The Soldiers’ Charity and we depend entirely on your donations and goodwill to help each and every soldier that needs their help

Check out our website for how you can get involved because the support you give can make a huge difference to a soldiers’ life. Why not fundraise or volunteer, leave a legacy or get your workplace to support The Soldiers’ Charity so that we can be there for soldiers, former soldiers and their families when they most need our help.

Visit The Soldiers’ Charity website
Like The Soldiers’ Charity on Facebook
Follow The Soldiers’ Charity on Twitter @Soldierscharity