New fund for public to provide modern gifts for overseas troops
15 Oct 09
British troops in Afghanistan are to benefit from a new Operational Welfare Fund which will see a range of items including portable DVD players and games consoles being sent to them.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards inspecting an item obtained via the Operational Welfare Fund
[Picture: Cpl Ian Forsyth RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The package of equipment is intended to provide troops serving on the front line with gadgets to improve the quality of their downtime.
It also intended to provide members of the public who want to show their support of British troops deployed overseas by sending Christmas parcels with an alternative method of doing so.
Sponsored by Littlewoods, Woolworths.co.uk and the Daily Mirror newspaper, the Operational Welfare Fund was launched this week by the Ministry of Defence and SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) Forces Help.
The first deliveries under the scheme will be shipped to Afghanistan in a matter of days.
One of the key aims behind the new fund is to give members of the public, who have consistently demonstrated their generosity towards Service personnel, a genuine alternative to sending their own parcels to operational theatres in the run-up to Christmas.
Although it is recognised and appreciated that people have the best of intentions when they send festive gifts out to troops, the MOD is stressing that donating to the Operational Welfare Fund represents a much more effective way of supporting troops.
"We are extremely grateful for the levels of support currently being demonstrated from all walks of society which provide a telling testimony to the respect and affection in which our Armed Forces are held."
Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel)
The fund means that for the first time men and women deployed on operations will be given the opportunity to decide what the money raised for them through the public's generous donations will be spent on. And any type of bid will be considered, whether it's for provision of a small luxury or assistance with a major project.
Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson, the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel), said:
"We are extremely grateful for the levels of support currently being demonstrated from all walks of society which provide a telling testimony to the respect and affection in which our Armed Forces are held.
"Such support means a great deal to Service personnel, particularly those on operations. The generosity and heartfelt support of communities at home is important in keeping up morale, often in very difficult conditions.
"However, experience over the past two years has shown that the operational mail system can be swamped by the public's generosity with the result that the all-important personal mail becomes significantly delayed.
"While parcels from the public are without doubt popular with recipients, the delays they inevitably cause to the delivery of personal mail are considerably less welcome.
"The delivery of goodwill parcels to forward operating bases also necessitates additional resupply flights and convoys which places personnel at additional risk in what is already a difficult and dangerous operating environment.
Items obtained via the Operational Welfare Fund
[Picture: Cpl Ian Forsyth RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
"If people could instead donate to the new SSAFA Operational Welfare Fund, their generosity will go much, much further - and without the unintended side-effects of delaying personal mail.
"I am delighted that we have been able to get the Operational Welfare Fund well and truly under way by putting together these excellent packages for personnel serving in forward operating bases.
"As the fund is built up, I look forward to seeing what ideas our soldiers, sailors and airmen have for other ways the money can be used to make life on operations a little brighter."
Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said:
"SSAFA Forces Help has a long history of doing great work to improve the welfare of our Service personnel, so I am delighted that we have been able to team up with them to launch this exciting project.
"The Operational Welfare Fund will make a real difference to the men and women serving in theatre, and provides an excellent means by which the public can show their support.
"I appreciate, just as members of the Armed Forces do, the public's great generosity when they choose to send Christmas parcels out to the troops. Public support is such a great morale-booster. But I really cannot stress enough that donating to the Operational Welfare Fund is a much more effective way of supporting our servicemen and women."
See Related Links to find out how donations can be made to the fund >>>