Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Hi I'm Wendy, and in May 2010 I will be doing a tandem parachute jump in aid of The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association, you may be asking why a perfectly sane woman would throw herself out of a plane at 10,000 feet, well this is all for a great charity that I have been a volunteer for, for nearly two years now. They are the 'Forgotten Heroes'.
I am keeping the page updated with all off-line sponsorship as well, a big thank you to all the staff at The Pavilion Offices in Hull that are supporting me, you help is so much appreciated. I would have loved to list you all on here.......but I would get typers cramp!! but you know who you are and thank you.
Please visit the NGVFA website for more details about this worthy charity.
To say that I am scared about this whole thing is an understatement, but at least I will not be doing it alone and I will have the company of the Gulf Veterans that will be doing the jump with me and the supporters on the ground.
All donations however large or small are greatfuly received.
Below is just a little bit of information about the charity.
The association was established in 1995 in Manchester by a group of ill Gulf veterans; it then became a registered charity in 1996. After returning from Op Granby (Gulf War 1 - 1990-1991) , those veterans developed illnesses and could not understand why. After telling their stories in local and national newspapers, they began to realise how wide-spread and common these problems were amongst Gulf Veterans.
Hundreds of other ex-service personnel experiencing similar if not identical health problems began contacting those veterans and the need for a central point of contact became apparent. However, it soon became clear that the overwhelming workload was having a detrimental effect on the health of the veterans running the charity.
In 1998 the administration and management of the charity moved to Hull, where it was put on a more professional business footing with staff and office premises. The Board of Trustees, most of whom are veterans, help ensure that veterans of desert conflicts and their families, partners and carers are at the heart of all we do. Day to day management and administration is undertaken by 6 members of staff and a small number of dedicated volunteers.
Thousands of service personnel were deployed in both the Gulf Conflicts with many more in the current ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Many returning home develop health or social problems, requiring support from the NGVFA.
There are 8000+ ill Gulf War Veterans claiming a war pension from Gulf War 1 , and over 2000+ from Op Telic 2003-2009 (Gulf War 2(Iraq)) (Service Personnel & Veterans Agency (SPVA) April 2009). The need for the charity to remain and help these individuals and their families grows with each day.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
