Hello everyone! I have a slightly different post today, I wanted to make you aware of something I will be doing throughout the whole of July. As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to start doing things for charities and I am going to kick off with my first chosen charity ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. I have chosen this charity because I have quite a few friends who are or who have served in the armed forces. I wanted to give back to those who have given up so much for us, so this really is a charity close to my heart, as I know how much this will mean to soldiers.
Now the challenge is to walk 50 miles in a month. However I want to challenge myself even more and attempt to run most of this. It will be happening throughout the whole of July and I will be tracking my progress on my fundraising page, where you can find out more information and donate here:
https://events.soldierscharity.org/fundraisers/amyminor/operation-bletchley-london-2021
ABF are an amazing charity that are there for soldiers, former soldiers, and their families for life. In just last year alone, they supported 60,000 people, in 63 countries. When they hear of a person or family in need, they aim to respond within 48 hours, which is just incredible. What they do is provide grants to individuals and families, as well as funding to leading charities and organisations that support the army family. This will help towards families cope with a sudden bereavement or traumatic loss, wounded soldiers who will need financial assistance, help with housing, education and training for employment for soldiers and veterans of all ages and also older veterans and their widows when they find themselves lonely or isolated. Not to mention that they also help with mental illness such as depression and PTSD, which unfortunately I know a few who have suffered from.
Here is Andy’s story taken from https://soldierscharity.org/stories/andy-garthwaite/ on how ABF The Soldiers’ Charity has helped him.
(Not my own image, taken from https://soldierscharity.org/stories/andy-garthwaite/ )
Corporal Andy Garthwaite served in the Queen’s Royal Lancers. He started his career in 2002 at the age of 16 and undertook his training at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate. After serving in Iraq at the age of 18, in 2010 he was deployed to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 12. On 5th September 2010, whilst on his penultimate patrol of the tour, he was searching a compound when his unit came under sustained and heavy fire.
Andy raced to join the rest of his troop on the roof of the compound but no sooner had he reached them when a rocket-propelled grenade tore off his right arm. A close friend was killed in the same incident. Andy recalls “lying on the floor in a lot of pain with my hand on fire. My arm was away from my shoulder just lying there. I was still wearing my glasses and could see my friend’s body beside us. And I thought ‘ouch that hurt, I think I’ve been hit’.” Andy is only alive today because his team radioed for a helicopter and within ten minutes were carrying him to safety across an open field, despite continuous enemy fire.
The day after being evacuated to Camp Bastion, he was in a stable position and was flown to a hospital in Birmingham for further treatment. It has been a long road to recovery for Andy. In 2012, he became one of only a few people in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm powered by the brain. He told us: “When I found out I was getting the arm I thought this is a bit too much in the future, this, to have a prosthetic arm that works off your thoughts, are these doctors on the same planet as me?! But I was over the moon because it’s the best thing in the field of prosthetics so it’s quite a privilege and an honour to get the surgery.”
ABF The Soldiers’ Charity gave Andy grants to assist with rehabilitation; funding for bathroom adaptations, steering adaptations for his car and an iPad. Andy was desperate to remain independent following his medical discharge from the Army in 2013 and top of his list was finding a new job. Andy is now married to Kailey, has two children and is in employment working for a property management company in Newcastle.
So if you would like to donate, then you can click the link above here:
https://events.soldierscharity.org/fundraisers/amyminor/operation-bletchley-london-2021
It doesn’t matter how small of a donation it is, it all counts and will all help make a difference.
Thank you in advance.
A x
littlemissminor 