Last weekend saw a group of families, from a very young five years old to a veteran in his late 60s, braving a cold night and camping in an annual sleep out in Hackworth Park.
Alan Morton, 68, who served 22 years with the Royal Core Signals spent the night in just a sleeping bag without a tent commended the event: “Raising money for such a worthy cause by just spending one night outside is nothing to what many men and women have done for us both past and present,” he said.
Andy Haines, a veteran of 14 years in the Fusiliers 2nd Battalion was involved in conflicts such as Afghanistan and was deployed in many multi-cultural places around the world as a training instructor to junior personnel.
Now the proud chairman of the Shildon branch of the Royal British Legion, he said: “We had a brilliant turnout of veterans from across the services and families who slept in tents, bivvies and sleeping bags under the stars to raise money to support serving and ex-service personnel right here in Shildon”
Following his own struggles with PTSD, mental health and physical injuries, Andy is striving to raise awareness within the local community of the work the Royal British Legion can help with.
“Our branch is a safe place for service personnel and their families and where people can get access to help from specialist organisations. We are working hard to reach individuals and tackling problems like loneliness and isolation.
“We are grateful to the council for their support in supplying fencing and the use of the toilets and allowing us to pitch our temporary camp.
“Thanks also to Mohammed from Red Chilli restaurant for supplying a delicious buffet that went down fantastic among the group and to all our sponsors, from businesses across Shildon to many individuals from the community.
“The sponsorship is now being collected and the amount raised exceeds £1,000.
“The next RBL meeting is at Shildon Railway Institute on Tuesday 8 October and we would love to welcome new members.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
