Hi,

          

Well it’s not often I ask, is it.                       

          

My dad Rob, my mate Gareth and I are undertaking a charity rally in aid of the ‘Help For Heroes’ (H4H) charity. It will be started by the British Army on Saturday 19th June 2010 at a secret location in North Wiltshire. Consisting of a 1650 mile expedition start to finish, encompassing 6 countries in 10 days. This is a non-race event comprising 40 teams. It will be part history tour,  part competition, part off-road driving and part club event, open to all types of 4x4 vehicles. With lots of charitable events based along the route, all the money raised by the teams will be donated to the H4H charity.                      

          

Here is a link to the Help For Heroes official site:           

http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/          

          

          

This charity provides financial, social and emotional support to millions who have served and a currently serving in the Armed Forces.                      

          

We are doing this is to help all the men and women who risk there lives every day to keep us safe. However, on a more personal level, we have a close friend in the army who is about to take up his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. After hearing his experiences of friends and colleagues that were unable to claim full compensation for loss of limbs and the fact that they even had to pay for their own insurance  – which you expect to be part of the job package – we wanted to show our support by undertaking this challenge. There are soldiers that return to Britain with severe and debilitating injuries that prevent them returning to work, in one instance a soldier severely injured his foot in a road side bomb incident, he was told by his insurance company that he would not receive any compensation as they did not insure anything below the ankle. As you can imagine, it has become very difficult to find employment and to maintain confidence. Another friend was shot and lost internal organs only to be told his insurance didn’t cover internal organs but he could claim for his entry and exit wound and the holes in his uniform!!

          

These are brave people doing their ‘everyday’ job, just like yourselves, but risking everything for us, so lets help them out where we can.                      

          

          

So what are we doing to help?                      

          

The Help For Heroes charity event is a 4X4 rally that follows the path and tells the story of the allied invasion through Europe. It includes regions fabled by the Band of Brothers book and television series. Following the route of the British and American young men, who knew nothing of the horrors they would face and endure, across the fields and forests of Europe.                      

          

It will be a 1650 mile expedition start to finish encompassing 6 countries in 10 days.                       

          

Commencing on Saturday 19th June 2010 and after using the byways on Salisbury Plain we will travel in convoy to Portsmouth where we will take the ferry over to Normandy, France. In addition to Normandy, the H4H route will visit the Market Garden and Rhine offensives at Arnhem, Holland, which played witness in September 1944, to the largest airborne operation ever seen. Thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider, landing up to 150 Km behind enemy lines and along way from home.                      

          

The route then moves south, to Bastogne in Belgium where, in the coldest winter for decades, the Germans made a final push - 'the Battle of the Bulge'. Following this we move closer to the German border, where the rally path visits a Maginot Line fortification in Alsace, France. We will then cross the border into Germany and arrive at Dachau Prison Camp, notorious for its atrocities of war.                      

          

Our final destination takes us to Hitler’s ''impenetrable'' Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria on 29th June 2010.                      

          

Collectively we are all hoping to raise in excess of £100,000 for our men and women in our armed forces. (So far we have raised £32,820.24)

So please dig deep and help out our soldiers who risk there lives for us.                       

          

          

Even if its £1 it helps!

          

          

Many thanks

Jack, Rob and Gareth