HEALTH & WELLBEING
Gifts for our troops through the
Expeditionary Air Wing RAF Akrotiri Cyprus.
uk4u Thanks! has been sending a ‘Square Stocking’ to Service personnel, deployed on operations on Christmas day for 10 years. In that time, the charity has sent 210,000 boxes containing a range of fun and practical items, from Christmas hats and hymn sheets (mandatory items at any Christmas lunch!) to microfiber towels, sewing kits and torches.
In a bid to avoid parcels being sent to ‘a serviceman’ or ‘ a servicewoman’ that clog up the mail system, the MOD promotes uk4u as a preferred charity, to send gifts from the nation to raise morale and ensure that boxes are distributed to all service personnel, to alleviate the problem of unsolicited mail.
Work to produce the Christmas box starts even before the previous year’s Christmas box has been opened! Ideas and suggestions are discussed and suitable items are presented to the Committee so that by mid-February, the box contents have been agreed. Orders are then placed and the box packing takes place during late August or early September. Using spare irreducible capacity in the
www.raf-ff.org.uk
MOD Supply Chain, the boxes are then sent to their destinations well before the Christmas rush to be stored carefully prior to them being distributed to and opened by their recipients on 25 December. uk4u delivers a tangible product to thank all those who are deployed on operations and away from their families and loved ones on Christmas Day,
Most of the contents of the Christmas box are changed every year to ensure that the gifts are relevant and useful, mindful of the feedback we receive from all three services. Unfortunately we are unable to send chocolate, cake or alcohol despite being asked most years!
Our charity boxes are sent all over the world; to those stationed in Bahrain, Falklands Islands, the Balkans, Cyprus (to name but a few), to ships and submarines on deployment. Albeit a late request, the charity was delighted to provide additional boxes to RFA Argus, sent to Sierra Leone to support the UK’s contribution in the shape of Department for International Development staff combatting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Our gifts bring a smile to the faces
RAF Akrotiri British Forces Cyprus.
of our Service personnel and remind them they are in our thoughts whilst they are away from home, often in dangerous situations around the world peace making or peace keeping.
Some of the lovely letters of thanks and posts on our Facebook page include: “Unexpected, quality and practical items – hugely generous and uplifting to receive on Christmas day. Very much appreciated!” “A great gift, thank you; it is so nice to know that someone is thinking of us back home”.
We would really appreciate your support to raise funds; if you are running a marathon, organising a Christmas Fayre or completing a Tough Mudder challenge please consider donating to uk4u.
See
www.uk4u.org/make-a-donation or contact us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/Uk4ucharity
Envoy Winter 2015 39
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