Service charity news round-up

Service charities – and people fundraising for them – are constantly creating news. And the last few days haven't been any different from that point of view.

One of the biggest recent stories in the sector has been about the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at The Tower of London.

The first of the ceramic poppies used in this World War One centenary installation at the London landmark was put in place on July 17th.

The man who had the honour of putting the first flower in the dry moat of the Tower, where the installation is taking place, was YS Crawford Butler, who is the Tower's longest serving Yeoman Warder.  

Overall, in excess of 800,000 poppies are set to be involved in the installation. The idea is that each of these stands for a member of the military who died during World War One.

The artwork is a creation by Paul Cummins, who is a ceramic artist, and Tom Piper, who is a stage designer, has provided the setting.  

It's not yet officially on show: that won't happen until August 5th, which marks a century since the first complete day of Britain being in the War.

So how is all this linked to service charities? Well, the ceramic poppies in Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red are going to be sold off for such charities.

The Royal British Legion, Combat Stress, SSAFA, Help for Heroes, Coming Home and The Confederation of Service Charities will all be helped by this move.

The poppies are going to cost £25 each and a portion of this is going to be shared out among these organisations.

In excess of 8,000 volunteers are going to work to install the poppies, with the last of them planted on November 11th this year.

"For this important anniversary year, we wanted the Tower of London's commemorations to serve as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives during the First World War, whilst encouraging others to reflect on our past," explained constable of the Tower of London, General the Lord Dannatt.

He explained that the war was pivotal in human history, leading to the loss of more than 16 million lives worldwide. The outcomes of the war have had a bearing on society today, he added.

"We hope that people across Britain, Europe and the rest of the world will join us by being a part of this unique moment which we feel reflects the magnitude of this centenary year," he said.  

Meanwhile, a rather different fundraising event happened in Boscombe at the weekend (July 19th). The Bournemouth Echo reports that the Help for Heroes fundraiser saw a local road closed, with some people living on Kings Park Road having event attractions in their gardens.

Postman Pat and a Dalek joined the occasion with cream teas, a barbecue, bouncy castles, mini steam trains and more on offer.

Gill Brewster was event organiser, with a range of businesses helping out too.

She told the news provider that many parents in the area don't have much money. It was decided to have free games and activities so these kids could enjoy themselves, she added, saying: "It’s a party for the community.”

Also in recent days, service charity SSAFA has been promoting its autumn Big Brew Up event. This aims to raise money for helping service people, ex service people and these people's families.

"Our Big Brew Up is the perfect opportunity to take some time out and get together with family, friends or colleagues for a cuppa and a slice of cake," explained SSAFA’s Big Brew Up coordinator, Verity Maylam.

The Big Brew Up campaign has been arranged for October 5th to 12th this year. Ms Maylam explained that registering is easy and the event's website features lots of materials.

Finally, word has recently been given of a partnership between Ceredigion County Council and the Royal British Legion, to further changes from the charity aimed at enhancing the accessibility of its welfare services for potential users.

The Legion has announced that there will be an extra presence from the charity in the Aberystwyth authority's Canolfan Rheidol offices during the final Wednesday every month, starting on July 30th.

This is among a range of outreach locations that are being planned for different places in Wales, where a support worker will be on hand to offer support and help on the Legion's behalf. The first day of the new Aberystwyth scheme will be taking place between 10am and 1pm.

Louise Williams, Legion case officer, will be the person on hand here and on subsequent sessions on the final Wednesday of the month.

"The Legion is a national organisation but with a footprint in the local community across Wales. This latest partnership with Ceredigion County Council in Aberystwyth shows our commitment to making our welfare services as accessible as possible to our beneficiaries across the region," commented Wales area manager, Phil Jones.