On Sunday 1st July, we will be returning to the Radley Cricket pitches intent on winning the inaugural AFF Cricket Festival in Dougie's memory. We shared many very happy years playing here with some great success!

 

The day will consist of a six-a-side tournament on bigside and secondside, the golf course and swimming pool will be open, please do come along, relax in the sun, bring picnics and get involved! There will also be a hog roast, the Coldstream Guards will be bringing laser shooting, gun-run assault courses, a weapons caravan and hydraulic climbing wall.. so the children will be entertained..

 

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The Armed Forces Fund (AFF) is a relatively new initiative that has been created within the Radley Foundation for the sole purpose of raising funds to help finance the education of sons and daughters of killed and wounded Service men and women of all ranks throughout the Armed Forces.

 

From the moment it was launched shortly before Remembrance Sunday 2010, the AFF has resonated powerfully with everyone. For generations we have all admired the dedication and selflessness of British troops fighting for our country and been in awe of the bravery they show in battle and their willingness, if necessary, to pay the ultimate sacrifice. The recent deaths in Afghanistan of two Old Radleians, Rupert Thorneloe and Dougie Dalzell, and the extraordinary examples of bravery shown by Harry Parker, Rowley Gregg and others, has brought the tragic consequences of such selflessness home to all of us in a real and humbling way.

 

Fundraising began at the three schools in November 2010 and over £1.2 million has been donated to date. The aim is to raise £5 million so that the income can be used to help fund the education of between 6 and 15 Service children at any one time.

 

The boys will be educated at Radley College, near Oxford, and the girls at either Downe House, near Newbury, or St Mary's Calne, in Wiltshire. Awards will be made available to the children of all ranks from all parts of the Armed Forces - regardless of whether they have connections with one of the three schools or not.

 

We feel passionately about helping children who have lost their dads or mums at a tender age. We've decided to enter this Six-a-Side cricket tournament at Radley that involves twelve sides including a Rupert Thorneloe team and a Dougie Dalzell team. Every player is raising sponsorship and we hope to contribute significantly to the target of £50,000 on the day.

 

Please help us to improve the lives of these families who have lost so much.

 

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 - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.