News

Please read the attached article about 28 schools in the Hereford area raising money for the Fund.

Twenty-eight schools sign up.... Read more

Please read the attached article about Archie Bromfield who raised £100 for HCOCF through a school mufti day. Chard and IIminster News... Read more.

Please read this link to the Harlequins First XV interactive magazine www.firstxv-magazine.co.uk. HCOCF's article appears on pages six and seven. The Fund is very much looking forward to being their nominated charity at the Harlequins v Sarcens match on 7th May at The Stoop.

Young Barbadian war hero celebrated by Garrison Alumni

12/15/2010

Barbadian Corie Mapp, a member of the prestigious Household Cavalry of the British Army who lost both of his legs in a horrific accident on January 31, while serving in Afghanistan, was the guest of honour of a Garrison Secondary Alumni award ceremony on Sunday night at Almond Bay, Christ Church.

The 33-year-old former cadet of the school, product of the Barbados Defence Force and former member of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), arrived at Almond Bay in a limousine with his wife Marquita and three children - Erin, Jodie and Alex - before inspecting his Guard of Honour which featured members of the Garrison Secondary Cadet Corps and the RBPF.

Supported by the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund, the tank driver made a remarkable recovery and realised his vow of walking with prostheses only months after his Scimitar 45 tank hit an improvised explosive device, commonly referred to as roadside bomb, in the Northern Helmand Province in the volatile war-ravaged area of the Middle-East.

Although reported by the UK Sun newspaper as one of the "worst-injured soldiers in Prince Harry's regiment", the avid sportsman with a special love for volleyball, has resumed a productive and active life still working in a logistics position of the army and in fact will also be participating in the 2012 London Paralympics.

During his brief speech, Mapp, who hails from St. John, credited the deceased Major Rawlston Nicholls who headed the cadet corps at Garrison Secondary, Captain Michael Jackman of the BDF and then principal Graydon Sealy with preparing him for life in the armed forces through their lessons of discipline. He presented Jackman, Sealy and Nicholls' son with gifts to mark that appreciation. Presentations were also made to British troopers of the Household Cavalry who served with Mapp who were present for the special event. The bond between the Warrant Officer Warren Brown, Sergeant Matthew McGuire, Sergeant Paul Holliday and Corie Mapp was very evident as the three continuously made sure that the badges on the smart army suit of their Barbadian hero, were always perfectly placed.

• nationnews.com - New wheels for amputee
• nationnews.com - Mobile - New wheels for amputee
• UK in Barbados - News
• flickr.com - UK in Barbados

So now I am back in Geneva having completed , on Sunday the 7th November , the New York Marathon !

42 Kilometres or 26.2 Miles ! I prefer the Kilometre figure as it sounds longer and harder.
Well, it was indeed hard for an aging fifty year old !

The time was 4 Hours and 27 Minutes.

I came in 24,535 out of approximately 45,000 people and in my age group I was number 2034 !

The first 30 Kilometres went by with little concern and thereafter I found that elusive "Wall" ! They told me that once one had met the "Wall", one went over it and continued with gusto to the finish. I beg to differ. The "Wall" was longer than I imagined and in fact lasted to the very end. It really was quite hard work and the legs get very tired indeed. One has to draw on very deep and strategic reserves to go that extra mile.

The atmosphere was indeed amazing and only in America ! There were bands playing and the entire route was lined with people cheering you on ! I sadly did not have room on my highly sponsored T- Shirt to have my name printed as well and hence I missed out on a lot of the female support , however, as my outfit had some Military Insignia printed on it , there was a modicum of enthusiasm from the Fire Brigade and other members of the National Guard.

Ultimately, the purpose of this madness was to raise funds for the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund. I have not completed counting all the pennies, but you have all been incredibly generous and I have raised in excess of 30,000 pounds for this superb cause, which is also dear to my heart.

Thank you all so much indeed. The whole event has been an amazing experience and it is your generosity that has spurred me on to the finish line.

Rupert Fryer

On Tuesday 26th October the finery of the Household Cavalry came together with top British designers to raise awareness and funds for our wounded servicemen and their families, at Fashion for the Brave, held at the Dorchester, London.

The evening was a glitzy and glamorous affair with well-known faces such as Dame Shirley Bassey and Elaine Paige OBE gracing the red carpet to show support for the three beneficiary charities, the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund, Help for Heroes and ABF The Soldiers Charity. Guests were greeted by Mounted and Dismounted Dutymen of the Household Cavalry at the entrance as well as a spectacularly lit up Dorchester.

The evening kicked off with a champagne reception followed by dinner in the Ballroom, with every table hosted by serving officers of The Household Cavalry. The night was hosted by Angela Rippon OBE who perfectly captured the essence of the evening.

Lord Harry Dalmeny took charge of the main auction after dinner and ensured pockets were dug deep, drawing the auction to close with the final lot, a 2011 Limited edition Range Rover! Throughout dinner guests were entertained by the band of the Life Guards and trumpeters from the band of The Blues and Royals.

Guests were also very privileged to hear from Flight Lieutenant John Nichol who took to the stage to help introduce the hard hitting video before the auction.

The culmination of the evening was a stunning fashion show, showcasing outfits from our top British designers including Vivienne Westwood, Jaspar Conran and Matthew Williamson. Musical entertainment was provided by Fuse and Helene Horlyck who played rousing renditions of Land of Hope and Glory and I Vow to Thee my Country.

Thank you to everyone who gave their support to the evening and helped make it the spectacular event that it was. Please take a look at these links to get an insight into the night.

Fashion For The Brave - Youtube video
Electric Violinists Linzi Stoppard & Ben Lee Feat. Helene Horlyck Rock Fashion For The Brave - Linkedin video.

The Reading Lions, with a few retired Army members in it, decided to help Military Charities by organising a Charity Dinner. The Mess at Windsor was chosen because one of the Committee Members was raised at the Barracks along side the now Curator of the Regimental Museum in Windsor. The objective was to raise £25,000 to £30,000 for the 3 main Charities - H4H, Combat Stress and the Regiments HCOCF.

It took almost 10 months to plan the detail, produce marketing literature, souvenir programme etc to ensure all went to plan.The production of full colour marketing material and a detailed programme of events ensured the 150 seats soon "sold out" and a waiting list started. However, to achieve the target it was vital to achieve sponsorship.

This was obtained from the Chefs and waiting staff working for no pay, plus food, wine and Port all given free of charge by various MOD suppliers. All this could not have been done without the support of Senior Mess Officers and the Regimental Chef in Windsor.

Read the Full article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334667/Meet-Forces-Foxes-Army-WAGs-launch-calendar-support-brave-fighting-partners.html

We were delighted to raise nearly £400 for HCOCF. We organised some local friends to come and sell their wares and this accompanied by wine and nibbles attracted quite a large crowd.

We had a small raffle and asked people to buy a strip of tickets for £5 when they arrived, and the stallholders kindly donated 10% of their proceeds to HCOCF. The evening was a great success and good fun.

The Dorset Squadron have been very busy again this year collecting for HCOCF and below are extracts from their October Newsletter

"It was then time for the auction in aid of the HCOCF, the third year we are supporting this charity. So a warm-up item donated by Chris Rose 'The History of the Blues and Royals' started the auction off and quickly raised £110 thanks to Mrs Margaret Greenwood.
Then we were off with the first catalogue item, the Sterling silver bracelet charm of a Household Cavalryman - gamely won by Pete Gainey for £170.
On then to the Wayne Rooney framed signed shirt, a most typical item with all the stories going around that weekend; the Rooney shirt was knocked down to Tony English for £120.
Moving on the next item, the June Winstanley cat sculpture - and Len Knox now has that looking at him for £100!
Then we had the Cuneo 'Shire horse and foal' print and Mrs Faith Greenwood harnessed that at £250!
Time for the John Hawley Household Cavalry tray and again Len Knox bagged that for £250!
Finally it was the number one edition of the book 'Led by the Grey' written by Peter DeCosemo. Peter was present and explained the 200 hardback books had now been sold and this was the last on, but the very first, number 1, of the two hundred and he would sign it and personalize as necessary for the winner. Bidding was strong from both the floor and via commission bids presented on the Internet and finally Eric Lace bagged the book for £210.
Peter also announced his new book Barmy Army Rag Mag - a paperback of rude/dirty/vulgar and some say obscene jokes! All the monies raised will go to the HCOCF! Not for children or those easily offended! And there's more; Harry Maplesden had been shaking his bucket again this year and donated £250 for the fund and Mrs Anne O'Gorman £20 too and thank you both very much for your support Donations for wristband raised £76 and all in all, a grand total of £1566 was raised for the HCOCF and we had a bit of sport on the way!"

Summer Sizzler Draw

"You will recall receiving two books of draw tickets for a new one-off venture in support the HCOCF and how we came by the prizes?
Great thanks to Tony Prynne who sold £268's worth of tickets in Wales and to all who supported this most worthy cause.
After costs of printing tickets and postage etc, we raised £936 which has been sent to the HCOCF and our thanks to Committee Barry Woodley and family for their assistance in the distribution."

We had set a date, purchased all the food and drink, all we wanted was good weather and people! Lo and behold we had both.

Kick off was 15:00 and at 14:45 the first guests arrived - Tim Carpenter and my Dentist! Tim made the mistake of asking "Anything I can do?" so he ended up running the bar for me and did so all day. Big thanks for that.

And in they came, all giving up their £10.00 they were duly issued with a glass of Pimms and told to keep hold of the glass, (number on the bottom) as there would be a lucky dip throughout the day, sawdust and all! My Wife who I hadn't seen for the last 24 hrs started sending out the canapes and more and more kept arriving! It was a fantastic day with some old faces turning up, some from 20 years ago!

It was well worth the effort. Initially we had raised £1,281.00 but those who could not attend keep sending donations and the total is creeping up!! The support I received was amazing, everyone I approached was only too happy to help. We all know its a good cause and it's for our "Family" it matters not how much you can raise, every little helps! We just have to get out there and do it! You know you can and the help and advice is there .Thanks to all who attended, without them it wouldn't have happened.
Peter

Belgravia's prestigious Motcomb Street celebrated the height of the British summer, with some 4,000 revellers joining Harry Hill, over 50 members of the Household Cavalry and an army of horses to raise a fantastic £44,000 for Honeypot and the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund.

The beautiful cobbled street hosted a fantastic night's entertainment, officially opened with a magnificent procession of mounted cavalry and drummer horses riding through the street past its illustrious boutiques and charming street-side stalls under a ceiling of festive bunting.

Philip Lawless, Chairman of the Street Party Committee comments: "We are thrilled that so many people joined us for last night's celebrations and helped to raise an astonishing £44,000 for two very worthy causes. There was a palpable buzz on the street throughout the evening, with the involvement of the Household Cavalry, such terrific entertainment and a mouth-watering array of specialist cuisine proving to be a real draw."

27th June 2010 - The Meyado Archie David Cup Final

Organised by Alistair Galloway
At the Guards Polo Club, Windsor

Despite coinciding with England's World Cup defeat by Germany, spirits were not dampened at the Archie David Cup Final at Guards Polo Club where spectators enjoyed watching a thundering game of polo on a gloriously hot summer day. The HCOCF benefited from the incredible generosity of Martin Young, late RHG/D, who sponsored the event and donated £5,000 to the charity.

Martin hosted a splendid pre-match lunch attended by Colonel Life Guards, Lord Guthrie, the President of Combat Stress, General Reddy Watt, the Silverstick, Colonel Toby Browne, the Commanding Officer HCR, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Fullerton, the Chairman of Guards Polo Club, Colonel Paul Belcher, the Chief Executive of the HCOCF, Alistair Galloway, Captain Andrew Jelinek, and Lance Corporal Martyn Compton, who presented the trophy to the winning team.

On the 12th June 2010 283 individual runners, 60 relay teams (each with three runners) and 44 horses set off from the town square in Llanwrtyd Wells on a 22 mile race called the Man V Horse Marathon. A friend from the Welsh Guards and I had entered as individual runners, both aiming to raise money for our respective regimental casualty funds.

The scenery was absolutely spectacular, which I suppose is another way of saying that it was hilly! In total we climbed 1,260 metres and descended 980 metres; meaning that if you weren't running up hill you were running down hill crossing rivers and bogs.

At about the 19 mile point I started to suffer badly from cramp, running across the boggy and or rocky ground made it worse as my legs were pulled and twisted. My real low point came at about 21 miles: when running through a patch of boggy ground my trainer was pulled off by the mud, the cramp meant that putting the trainer back on was excruciatingly painful! As the race neared the end I took guilty comfort in the knowledge that I wasn't the only person suffering, many of the individual runners were in bad shape, so much so that I ran past two or three people who were on their hands and knees.

Having described the bad bits, I suspect you might be wondering why on earth a person would want to run in such an event. The truth is I am not quite sure, but the comradeship between runners is extraordinary and the scenery is amazing, but I suppose the biggest reason is the sense of achievement on a personal level and the hope that others would benefit from that achievement. I finished 111th in a time of 3hrs 48mins beating 4 horses.

The generosity of those in the two Regimental Associations and outside of the regimental family has been absolutely tremendous, the total raised as at 08th July is £8,722. I will definitely be doing the race again next year hoping to get under 3hrs 30mins!

If you haven't yet sponsored me, its not too late, I will keep the just giving page open for a few more weeks -
www.justgiving.com/HCavOperationalCasualties-ManVHorse
Charlie.

I was asked by a friend to join him in walking part of the Santiage de Compostella route. Rather than support him in his personal fundraising I emailed an assortment of business colleagues, suppliers, and friends asking them to support me in walking 100Km over the mountains in four days. I attached the operational casualties fund just giving link and the website or said anyone could send donations to me.

The 'ask' thus became very easy because the website and link do all the hard work. People are remarkably generous - i did not ask for a figure or set a total and simply wanted to get support. Some people are remarkably generous.
Michael.