The Spinnaker Tower Abseil, which has been fantastically organised by our Home Counties office since 2013, is just one of the extreme events that ABF The Soldiers’ Charity offers. Soaring 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent, the Emirates Spinnaker Tower is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben, and has already established itself as a national icon for Britain.
Read moreThere are no half measures for RAF Benevolent Fund supporter Ceri Meehan, especially when she’s aiming to ‘give something back’ to the charity which has supported her family.
The 31-year-old is planning to run her very first road race, a half marathon distance, in tribute to the help the RAF’s leading welfare charity gave to her late grandmother Leading Aircraftswoman Edna Lacey. Edna lost her leg to bone cancer shortly after leaving the RAF following service during the Second World War. But she did not need to use a wheelchair until a second battle with cancer affected her mobility.
Read moreA blind veteran from Conwy has completed a three day Iceland trek with Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women and The Not Forgotten Association.
Amazingly, Steve Thomas, 45 and from Llanrwst, was entered into the challenge, which was arranged by The Not Forgotten Association, unknowingly. Steve explains “The Rehabilitation and Training Manager from the charity’s Llandudno centre put my name in the hat without me even knowing!
“Out of the blue, he told me that I’d been picked as one of the lucky few. I thought, ‘right then, time to get training!’”
Read moreA Police Officer from West Sussex is currently training to compete in Revolve 24, the Brands Hatch Cycle Challenge, for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Kala, 39 and from Littlehampton, will be taking on the challenge with her teammates at Angmering Cycling Club. Kala says: “Some of the guys took part last year and had nothing but positive things to say about it. It seems like a great challenge both personally and collectively.”
Kala, who works in the Missing People and Child Sexual Exploitation Team, admits the decision to fundraise on behalf of Blind Veterans UK was the result of a chance encounter.
Read moreA team of injured veterans on a round-Britain sailing expedition has reached the halfway mark in a grueling 2,000-mile sailing expedition around the British Isles.
Seventeen crew members – many with little or no sailing experience – set sail from Falmouth in Cornwall on August 5 on the Turn to Starboard Round Britain Challenge 2017.
The intrepid crew are circumnavigating the British Isles in a clockwise direction on board a tall ship, to help participants gain new skills and highlight the challenges veterans can face after leaving the military.
Read moreSteven Price Brown first became known to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity in 2015, through a meeting with inspirational charity Turn to Starboard. Turn to Starboard is a registered charity based in Falmouth Marina in Cornwall, using sail training to support Armed Forces personnel affected by military operations. At the time of our first meeting, Steven was preparing to embark on the Charity’s inaugural Round Britain Challenge alongside a crew of fellow veterans, all of whom had been through unimaginably traumatic experiences while serving their country.
Read moreSgt Steph Evans of 24 Squadron RAF Brize Norton is taking on a series of challenges like no other: a year of epic fundraising events, which she’s calling ‘An Oscarordinary Challenge’ after her young son, Oscar, who has Goldenhar syndrome, a facial cranium condition.
She aims to raise £20,000 to benefit our charity and others with 12 months of walks, spinathons, decathlons and runs – including Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert. She also wants to raise awareness of Oscar’s condition.
Read moreWalking With The Wounded (WWTW) is exceptionally proud of beneficiary, Kyle, who is planning to run from Warrington to Ipswich in just 5 days. Kyle will be starting his 210 mile journey from Warrington on Monday 4th September, aiming to run 42 miles per day.
Kyle served with 9 Parachute Squadron RE (Royal Engineers) and served 2 tours of Afghanistan.
Kyle has explained on his Just Giving page: “I am trying to raise as much money as possible… for PTSD victims.” He is hoping to raise £1000 for the military charity Walking With The Wounded, which supports physically, mentally and socially wounded ex-servicemen and women back into independence by assisting them into sustainable employment and helping them to reintegrate back into society.
Read moreThe Kings Camp at both HMS Temeraire and HMS Collingwood ended this year with record high numbers of naval children in attendance.
Children from ages 5 to 14 years-old turned up in their droves to attend this summer’s sporting activity camps. The camps, which play host to children from naval background, offer a plethora of fun sports activities from Badminton to Swimming, the camp offers it all.
Having begun as a single week at HMS Temeraire with between 30 and 40 children, Kings Camp Portsmouth and HMS Collingwood in Fareham now host over 210 children between them.
Read moreAn army veteran from Conwy has competed in the Race the Train Quarry Challenge for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Kevin Williams, 44 and from Glan Conwy, narrowly missed out on glory after finishing the 10 kilometre course in 56 minutes and 27 seconds, with the train coming in at 55 minutes. Kevin says: “It was a great day all round and it was fantastic to see so many people out in support.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
