Today's most viewed
| ECHO NEWS | |  | | | | | | | | FEATURES | | | | | | | SOUTHEND UNITED | | | | HEALTH | | | | | | | COMING UP IN YOUR ECHO | |
|
|
|
Boost for fund for our soldiers
A FUND for soldiers killed or seriously injured in Afghanistan will receive a boost from a reception at the House of Lords organised by Essex County Council.
Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, is inviting representatives from businesses and charities across the county to the event.
The aim will be to work out a joint strategy to raise as much money as possible for the Royal Anglian Regiment memorial fund.
The fund supports soldiers who were injured, or the families of those who were killed, during a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand Province last year.
Lord Hanningfield said: "The soldiers are incredibly brave and I'm so grateful for how they put their lives on the line for everyone back home.
"Sadly some of them paid the ultimate price, while others were badly injured. My council wants to do all it can to support this fund.
"I am inviting the best brains and most influential people across the county to put their heads together and think about how we can help raise badly needed money.
"Several soldiers and officers from the regiment will also hopefully be attending."
The Royal Anglians lost nine soldiers, including Private John Thrumble, 21, of Westborough Road, Westcliff, and suffered 57 casualties, during the tour of duty.
More than £125,000 has already been collected for the fund.
The county council reception is taking place in the River Room, at the House of Lords, from 6pm to 8pm, on Tuesday.
The regiment recruits from across Essex and East Anglia.
Dawn Stevenson, 40, from Laindon, mother of Royal Anglian squaddie Iain Stevenson who served in Afghanistan, said: "It's great to hear the council is getting behind our boys.
"It would be nice to think the county was getting together to collect for the fund."
7:06am Saturday 17th May 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: ShipShape, Basildonk on 8:31am Sat 17 May 08
Good stuff, our lads and lasses need all the support they can get. How about getting them a proper pay rise as well?
Good stuff, our lads and lasses need all the support they can get. How about getting them a proper pay rise as well?
Posted by: Margaret Stoll, Rochford on 10:13am Sat 17 May 08
Please tell us how and where we can contribute to this fund.
Please tell us how and where we can contribute to this fund.
Posted by: Kim Gandy, Rayleigh on 3:18pm Sat 17 May 08
[quote]"I am inviting the best brains and most influential people across the county to put their heads together and think about how we can help raise badly needed money.[/quote] Hanningfield.
Makes me laugh!
Well it's not rocket science. Essex County Council just sanctioned £12,000 for the travellers to have a totally unnecessary community centre, so if they stopped wasting money on worthless projects like that (which incidentally came via a quango also funded by public money) and concentrated instead on genuine causes, there wouldn't be a problem would there? Why should our soldiers have to go cap in hand, while opportunists and do gooders stuff themselves full of public money?
We know where donations WON'T be coming from though, the economic migrant millionaires and their tree hugging friends.
So where CAN we donate to then? Presumably there will be some bank account details we can pay into - or perhaps local businesses will collect?
I'm right behind causes like this. Supporting brave folk from our own community that put themselves in the front line.
What could be more worthwhile than that?
"I am inviting the best brains and most influential people across the county to put their heads together and think about how we can help raise badly needed money.
Hanningfield.
Makes me laugh!
Well it's not rocket science. Essex County Council just sanctioned £12,000 for the travellers to have a totally unnecessary community centre, so if they stopped wasting money on worthless projects like that (which incidentally came via a quango also funded by public money) and concentrated instead on genuine causes, there wouldn't be a problem would there? Why should our soldiers have to go cap in hand, while opportunists and do gooders stuff themselves full of public money?
We know where donations WON'T be coming from though, the economic migrant millionaires and their tree hugging friends.
So where CAN we donate to then? Presumably there will be some bank account details we can pay into - or perhaps local businesses will collect?
I'm right behind causes like this. Supporting brave folk from our own community that put themselves in the front line.
What could be more worthwhile than that?
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
