I think this is what you guys were after:
I have no involvement in the charity - it went down before I re-took up paintball. The reason for my post is because I just wish we'd all get back to playing paintball rather than mud-slinging. So please, let this be the end to the whole issue and not start more arguments with nit-picking.
I've messaged Lump with a link to this, so not to tread on people's toes.
Taken from http://www.ukscenario.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30229Support4soldiers said:
Many of you in the scenario community will remember the initial discussion and debate about the setting up for a fund that paintballers could contribute to and the money would be injected directly to those who need it from a service background.
Support for Soldiers was set up and those involved were Tony Lindsay of the Scottish Warriors, Al Murray of Tippmann UK, BZ Paintball, DXS (or Maxs at the time) and Shoreline Paintball.
The project was set up with the advice of the Institute of Fund Raising and the aims of the project were very clear from the outset. Suzy Barnett of Shoreline Paintball agreed to administer the project and run the accounts and fund holding.
All of those involved in the project pledged never to charge a penny for their time or ever claim any personal expenses from the fund.
Over the course of most of last season, Support for Soldiers raised money at events and via various activities. A small amount of this money was allocated early in the projects life but the vast majority was not allocated until after the end of the season.
Allocation of funds to individuals is a surprisingly difficult thing to do, especially when those individuals are often extraordinary characters who despite their own hardship believe that others are more deserving.
There were lots of people involved in trying to allocate the available funds ranging from the Welfare Officer of the Royal British Legion, a democratically elected local government official, Social Services, members of Tim Barnett's former Army unit as well as several players who used their personal contacts to try and identify people or families in need.
The allocation process took longer than was expected or hoped, but throughout that delay, the paintball community was kept informed via public postings on this and other forums.
From the outset, it was stated that once all the funds had been allocated then the full details of how and when funds were raised and allocated would be publicly released so that those paintball players who donated to the project could see where they money was spent. That position never changed throughout the process.
Now that all the funds are allocated (literally the last of the money goes out today) Support for Soldiers is delighted to be able to show those scenario paintball players who donated to the fund where their money has been spent and to give some of the stories behind those allocations.
As the recipients are people who are connected with the military, for obvious security reasons we are unable to publicly name them. Also, some of the allocations are of a sensitive nature relating to people's personal circumstances or wellbeing. However, in the interests of transparency and for the community to feel comfortable that such allocations have been made, the contact details for the individuals will be made known to a small group of people who can, if desired, act on behalf of the wider community to confirm those allocations. Obviously, those involved in the S4S project would have access to the individual recipients (i.e. Shoreline Paintball, BZ Paintball, Paul Banks of Tippmann Sports, Tony Lindsay and Al Murray).
In addition, we propose that Dan Henwood of Paintball Scene Magazine and Olly Bell also be provided with the contact details so that if the wider community wishes, they can contact the recipients to confirm receipt of funds. We have chosen both Dan and Olly as both are widely considered to be neutral parties with no allegiances to anyone in paintball. Neither are on the payroll of any party and both are widely respected to be of an independent nature. Additionally, Dan has already been involved in checking and confirming the validity of the project on a previous occasion via discussion and written confirmation of the local councillor involved.
Accounts Summary
A total of £7149.06 was raised.
The first two allocations took place early in the projects life. A £500 donation was made to a person relating to mental health issues suffered by combat veterans.
The second donation, made in March 2011 was a benevolent donation to former members of the Intelligence Corps who required financial assistance.
The majority of the fund was eventually allocated very recently and this was split into three separate donations.
A donation of £2,000 was made to an individual. This individual received the George Cross during his service and has since left the Army and fallen on hard times. A recent accident left the recipient without a foot and the hospital who treated him were unable to discharge him from hospital as he had no home to go to.
Eventually, the local authorities found him an emergency disabled accommodation flat, however, the accommodation was completely unfurnished without even carpets, furniture or any equipment to cook food.......literally 4 walls and a roof.
With the Support for Soldiers donation, the recipient intends to buy carpets for his accommodation, a bed, cooker and washing machine which will help him deal with his injuries and give him a start at a decent standard of living. Support for Soldiers is particularly proud of this donation.
Another donation of £2,000 was made to a young family. A significant proportion of the British Army is made up of Commonwealth soldiers. One such family had broken up, leaving the wife and children in the UK. As non-UK residents (currently applying for British Citizenship) they are not entitled to any support of assistance in the form of benefits. The family live in a hostel without a single penny. The husbands unit takes the view that they must try and help the family instead of casting them aside so they provide a few pounds each week for the mother to try and buy food for the children.
The Support for Soldiers donation will ensure that the children of this family will have some form of decent life whilst they wait for their citizenship application to be processed and will make an enormous impact on this mother and her children who are currently in an absolutely desperate situation.
The final donation of £1,652.78 will go to an Army wife based in Chester. The lady involved organises activities for the wives and children whose father/husband are currently serving in Afghanistan. The daily worry for the families left behind is significant so anything to take their minds off what is happening in Afghanistan is welcome. Additionally, the soldiers in theatre receive a massive moral boost when they know that effort is being made back home to keep their families happy. So the Support for Soldiers donation will pay for the wives and children of one Army unit currently in Afghanistan to go to Chester Zoo for the day and the activity will be transmitted to the guys in theatre so they are aware of the activity.
This completes the summary of the initial period for Support for Soldiers. Where further information regarding any of these stories comes available (i.e. thank you letters, photo's etc) we will post them in this thread so that the paintball community can see for themselves the impact that they money has had on those who have received it. Everyone who donated should be very proud of themselves. Your donation has helped to make a real difference to the lives of service personnel and their families.
If the community requires verification of the donations, then we will provide the details to Dan Henwood and Olly Bell.
Despite all the good that it has done, in its current form, Support for Soldiers will now close.
I have no involvement in the charity - it went down before I re-took up paintball. The reason for my post is because I just wish we'd all get back to playing paintball rather than mud-slinging. So please, let this be the end to the whole issue and not start more arguments with nit-picking.
I've messaged Lump with a link to this, so not to tread on people's toes.
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