The MOD acknowledges that there is a significant desire among members of the general public to support our personnel on operations and expresses its gratitude for this support and generosity.
Support for our personnel deployed on operations is always welcome, but the high volumes of unsolicited gifts and packages from the general public expected during the Christmas period, although well intentioned, increase pressure on the in-Theatre postal system and logistic supply chain. Personal mail from family and friends can therefore be significantly delayed. The additional requirement for helicopter flights and road convoys to move such parcels also takes these resources away from their primary tasks essential to supporting deployed personnel.
With 100 days to go until Christmas, the MOD is launching a campaign to remind members of the public how to express their support other than by sending unsolicited gifts and packages. Details of the many ways to do this, including making donations to Service Charities, can be found on the MOD website: www.mod.uk/PublicSupportForOurServicePersonnel
As in previous years, all Service personnel on operations
over Christmas (and those who are hospital in-patients)
will receive a seasonal gift box from a MOD-endorsed
charity (uk4u Thanks!). The charity uses free space in
the existing supply chain to deliver the boxes in time
for Christmas to personnel all round the world, including
those on ships and in submarines. These boxes are
provided in addition to the existing Deployed Welfare Package.
N.B. Our own Rifles battalions will not deploy to Afghanistan until 1 Rifles begins their tour in Aprill 2011 returning to the UK in October 2011. The remainder of the Rifles battalions will then follow in sequence at 6 month intervals.
-- Edited by Administrator on Wednesday 29th of September 2010 04:30:15 PM
