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AUDIO: Kiveton KBUGs care for the brave troops
A CARING community group in Kiveton has boosted the Support Our Troops campaign - with an 'overwhelming' collection of goodies to send out to servicemen and women abroad.
KBUG social secretary Margaret Farnsworth spotted a poster in Watts Estate Agents in Dinnington, and soon had the support of all the Kiveton Bungalows User Group.
"We collected all this in just over a week," she said. "I asked what it was about in the estate agents, and then said I think I can help out with that, and can get something going with our centre."
"I knew we could also get the Methodist Church at Aston involved too, because they're very giving people."
"We also found out that they're desperate for people to write to them. They want news from home, and a lot of them are from broken homes, and might have been advised to go into the army to help sort themselves out, as a career and to smarten themselves up."
"So they might not be getting parcels otherwise. It must affect them if everyone else seems to be getting mail from home and they're not. So this is our way of helping out."
Former soldier Andy Lyne, 36, served in Bosnia and Northern Ireland during six years in the Forces from 1992.
He launched the shoebox appeal to tie in with Armed Forces Day last month, and now says he is struggling to find enough boxes.
"It's fantastic, really, very special," he said, as he collected the donations and talked to KBUG members at their Viking Way community centre.
"I'm overwhelmed, it was such a shock when I walked in. The Yorkshire regiment are due to be deployed in early September, and if people are still supporting, then this is something we'll do all year round."
"So far I've got 25 big boxes full at my house, and it's only been running for about a month."
"It really tugs on the heartstrings, because I've been there in those types of situations. Things like this just make you feel like you're not on your own as much."
Peter Douglass, from Watts, has two sons in the army and was happy for his Laughton Road shop to serve as a drop-off point.
"I don't think you can ever really tell people what it's like serving in the army out there, and I can only tell people because of what my sons tell me," he said.
"And it does actually make you feel a little guilty, when you think that you're the only one in three generations to have not fought in a war. And yet both of my sons have seen atrocities that they shouldn't have to see."
"With email and telephones and what have you, taking the time to write to someone has become something of a lost art."
"But there are these people out there getting shot at, and all we need do is take a few minutes to show that we're thinking of them, and that is immense."
KBUG chairman Bill Sykes said: "You might not like what they are doing out there, but you have to support the troops that we have out there. That's the idea behind what we've been doing."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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