The Limbless Veterans has announced ‘BLESMA Week’ – a fundraising initiative to encourage people around the country to raise money for wounded service personnel in the first week of June.
BLESMA are calling on supporters to ‘Go Camo!’ in support of limbless veterans by innovatively incorporating camouflage into their fundraising events in some way, shape or form. It could be clothing, it could be decoration or any other whacky idea you can think of! So get your thinking caps on and get creative!
The week will kick off on Monday 2 June at the Cinema Museum in Elephant and Castle with a screening of the historic film ‘Reach for the Sky’, the original proceeds from the premier of which were donated to BLESMA. The 1956 film is a true story of World War II pilot, amputee and BLESMA Member and Trustee Douglas Bader. The film was directed by veteran Lewis Gilbert and the leads were played by Kenneth More and Muriel Pavlow.
Lewis Gilbert, 94, and Muriel Pavlow, 92, will attend the launch event.
The local Sainsbury’s supermarket in near BLESMA’s base in Chadwell Heath will have a collection for BLESMA running from Monday to Thursday that week.
On the Wednesday, sculptress to HM The Queen and BLESMA’s Celebrity Ambassador Frances Segelman will be sculpting BLESMA Member Private Alex Stringer in a live session at her riverside home in London in front of a small select audience.
There will also be a garden party held at the BLESMA Home in Blackpool. Jacqui Longden, the Manager of the Home says: “Now in its twelfth year, the annual BLESMA Blackpool Home Garden Party has 2 very special reasons to celebrate – 65 wonderful years of supporting injured veterans and our first ever BLESMA Week. It is a traditional English Garden party with about 300 guests, including the Mayors of the three local boroughs and various senior personnel from the local Barracks in Preston. It is always a wonderful day regardless of the Great British weather, and we are delighted that the entertainment this year will be supplied by the Royal Artillery Lancashire Volunteers Band.”
Annette Hall, Head of Fundraising at BLESMA says: “I am really excited to announce our first ever BLESMA Week – we want people from across the UK to join us in supporting our wounded servicemen and women by putting on all kinds of events to raise vital funds that go towards supporting them for life. If you have a bright idea for a fundraiser – please do get in touch via our website!”
BLESMA – The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932