Soldiers help to re-launch ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

The Army Benevolent Fund has changed its name to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, being re-launched with the help of soldiers.

Soldiers from C Company 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) were on hand to help launch the newly-named charity, which also has a differnt logo.

At the event, the charity’s chief executive, Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, said that he expects calls for help to rise in the coming years.

"We’ve seen the amazing stories of soldiers who have survived horrific injuries but we have no idea what the long-term effects of these injuries will be. Whatever they are, we need to be prepared for them," he added.

Sir Evelyn added that a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in calls for help has already been seen, but he expects the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to lead to a further rise in this number.

The charity now has aims to raise £14 million a year by 2015, but said that it requires more donations from the public to do so.

Posted by Simon Williams