Thank you for visiting this page. Public support means a great deal to those who are serving, and particularly to those on operations.
Support from home is an essential boost to the morale of our Armed Forces when they are away overseas facing the challenges of an operational environment. This is particularly important at Christmas, when, far away from family and friends, Servicemen and women are on duty around the globe in often difficult and dangerous conditions. Members of the public regularly show their support at this festive time, and help make Christmas for UK personnel a memorable one.
However, during the Christmas period, many people send goodwill packages to serving personnel who they don’t know personally. Although this is a very kind gesture, the resulting mountains of well-intentioned mail cause genuine difficulties in the Forces’ postal system, meaning important personal mail from loved ones and friends is often delayed, and does not arrive until long after Christmas.
Instead of sending a package, there are many Service charities you can donate to which provide welcome Christmas cheer to the Armed Forces. These include the SSAFA Operational Welfare Fund, uk4u Thanks! - the Christmas Box charity, Support Our Soldiers and Operation Shoebox. Further details on these charities and information on how to donate can be found in the Support a Service Charity section below.
Thank you for your support.
Ways to show your support
There are many ways in which members of the Public can support our Servicemen and women. This factsheet highlights some of the best ways to provide support, whether for troops deployed on operations, for personnel who have been wounded or for ex-Service personnel.
Support a Service Charity
Often the best way to provide support will be through established charities which understand the most effective ways to help.
See Related Pages for a list of the major Service charities.
Donate to the SSAFA Operational Welfare Fund
In conjunction with the MOD, SSAFA has set up the Operational Welfare Fund dedicated to providing support to the front line.
Although the MOD provides a comprehensive Deployed Welfare Package which includes a free mail service for families and friends, 30 minutes of telephone calls a week and Internet access, there are still areas where life can be improved.
Priority for spending from the fund is set by Commanders in theatre, for those items which have the most impact in enhancing the morale of their personnel. Any money donated to this fund enables commanding officers on the ground to bid for items which their men and women have asked for.
Examples of items purchased through the fund are Wii handsets, portable DVD players and games and table tennis tables.
You can donate online; see the Donate to SSAFA link in Related pages.
Donate to the uk4u Thanks! Christmas Box Scheme
uk4u Thanks! is a registered charity which provides Christmas boxes full of presents (affectionately known as the 'square stocking') as a gift from the nation to all those serving overseas away from their families on Christmas Day. They ensure that all Servicemen and women who are serving away at Christmas receive a box, whether they are in the Army, Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force, and wherever they are in the world. Feedback from troops who have received the box since the charity began in 2004 has been extremely positive, and they are a significant boost to morale at what can be a lonely time.
The charity does not receive any public funds, but the Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports the charity with advice and guidance. They also help by sending the parcels for troops in any transport going to operational theatres which has spare capacity. The boxes are not sent through the British Forces Post Office system, so there is no chance that they will 'clog up' the supply chain and delay personal mail and parcels from families and friends getting to their loved ones.
For 2011, the charity aims to send 22,500 parcels to personnel deployed on operations in Afghanistan, and to locations such as the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and Diego Garcia, plus those in ships and submarines across the world.
To donate or find out how you can sponsor a box, please visit the uk4u website under Related Links
Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day is the last Saturday in June. The day is the annual opportunity for the nation to Show Your Support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces: from currently serving troops to Service families and from veterans to cadets.
There are hundreds of local events taking place in towns and cities across the UK. If you want to know more about how to get involved and what's going on in your area, visit www.armedforcesday.org.uk to find out how you can celebrate Armed Forces Day in support of our nation's Armed Forces - past, present and future.
You can also join the constantly growing Facebook community and keep up to date with events or post a message of support at www.facebook.com/ArmedForcesDay.