Staff & Volunteer Meeting - Change of Date

Please note:-  The next Staff and Volunteer meeting has been brought forward to Wednesday, 6th of July 2016 due to volunteer training taking place on the 8th

ARMY VETERANS CHARITY EVENT
BLUE FLASH CHALLENGE 2016

ArmY Veterans Charity Event  

Blue Flash Challenge 2016

https://www.justgiving.com/Blue-Flash-Challenge

Introduction

11 months ago a “Band of Brothers” (Army Veterans from the 4th Royal Tank Regiment) met for a small reunion, and sat around a table where a discussion took place, to do something to support Veterans and their families who had lost loved ones, through their line of duty to this  country. A concept of an agility trek to raise funds for a charity was established ... We did not realising how big this concept was to become and its potential now to be a national annual event in future years !

Murdo Macleod .Vice Chairman Blue Flash Challenge.

Information on the Challenge

The Blue Flash Challenge (https://blueflashchallenge.wordpress.com/) is a series of community and fundraising events centred in the Highlands of Scotland and organised by veterans of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment. These events will take place on the weekend of Armed Forces Day 2016 and will the aim is to raise money to support Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers (http://www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/) ,is  a charity that is dedicated to supporting the children of men and women killed whilst serving in the British Armed Forces.

Army widow Nikki Scott set up the charity in August 2010 to help the children of the fallen, after her own husband, Corporal Lee Scott of the Royal Tank Regiment, was killed in action in Afghanistan in July 2008, leaving Nikki with two young children.

The charity provides opportunities for the children to smile again by offering holidays at its Scotty Lodges, gifts at difficult times of the year, special experiences and an amazing Christmas party. As well as fun activities the charity also provides access to professional bereavement counselling and a range of grants to help with children’s personal development. These grants can cover the cost of music lessons, swimming clubs, after-school activities, driving lessons and even university tuition fees. The charity now supports hundreds of bereaved British Forces’ children in the UK, many of whom are still very young and will rely on the activities offered by Scotty’s for years to come.

With fourteen other 50+ year old former members of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment, Murdo MacLeod will set off on Friday, June 24th at 0530 hours with the aim of A sponsored 96km march across the Monadh Liath mountains from RoyBridge to Inverness in under 24 hours   arriving in Inverness for the Armed Force Day Parade on Saturday, June 25th.

During this they will meet another group for the final 20km’s from Dores to Inverness commencing 0800 Saturday 25th June.

After the Challenge

A church service of dedication and remembrance which will be held on Saturday 25th June 2016 at 1100 in The High Kirk, Inverness, with representatives from: the Royal Tank Regimen; Royal British Legion ; SSAFA ; 51st Highland Battalion (7 Scots) ; The Highland Council and Scotty’s Little Soldiers in attendance. An invitation is also extended to all serving members of HM Armed Forces, Veteran Associations, local Cadets, Boys Brigade, Scouts, Girl Guides. The service is open to the general public who wish to show their respect for, and salute HM Armed Forces past and present for all that they have done and continue to do. Unique Blue Flash Wreaths will be laid and a very special reading by Maj. Charles Pelling of the Earl Haig Poppy Fund will take place.

A bench commissioned for the Blue Flash Challenge/ Armed Forces Day and shall be presented to the  Inverness Hospital  Children’s  memorial garden .

What YOU can do to help

There will be a charity Blue Flash Ceilidh Celebration with music by: Trail West; Rona Lightfoot; Robyn Stapleton and other special guest artists will take place on Saturday 25th June at The Club, Gordon Terrace in Inverness.

Tickets are £25 per person and can be ordered from http://tinyurl.com/jn5hnwc directly. Please add her and ask.

We will also be selling “The Fear Naught” charity compilation Scottish Music CD will be launched on Saturday 25th June 2016 featuring tracks by a number of well-known Scottish artists including Skipinnish, The Proclaimers, Ivan Drever, Skerryvore, Trail West, Gillebride Macmillan, Cathy Ann McPhee, Kathleen MacInnes, Robyn Stapleton, The League of Highland Gentlemen, The McCalmans, Nish Walker, Maj. Charles Pelling, and The Band of the Royal Tank Regiment.

We are not currently accepting pre-orders, please stay aware of https://blueflashchallenge.wordpress.com/ as we will be releasing more information and accepting orders there, closer to the date. We will be selling CDs at the Ceildh.

An auction will take place during the ceilidh on the evening of 25th June features donations from some of Scotland’s top companies, distilleries and organisations. This will follow on from a raffle being held the previous night as supporters follow the progress of those taking part in the 86km march across the mountains via live feed to a big screen TV at the ceilidh venue.

Mr Roger Fisher and Mr Murdo Macleod, both veterans of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment, and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Blue Flash Challenge committee would like to thank the following local and national organisations and businesses for their sponsorship and support of Armed Forces Day and Blue Flash Challenge:

Scottish Water;  Isle of Skye Candle Company;  Tullibardine  Distillery;  Kilda Cruises; Tinto Trout Fisheries; Taste of Moray; The Club; Inverness; Glencadam Distillery; Kevock Digital. Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. Fuel 10k, Trail West Building Healthy Communities D&G; Apex D&G; Dumfries and Galloway Education Department; Speedy; Greentrax . Brandon Hire; Roybridge Hotel; BirnamCD; Isle of Harris Distillers; Scottish Salmon; Tomatin Distillers; Troop Logo; YB Tracking; Speyburn Distillery; Caledonian Hotel; Portree; P.D. Ceannair ; Impact Imagz; A & I Quality Butchers 51st Battalion (7 Scots) Royal British Legion; Baron Rose of Kilravock; Stornoway Smokehouse; Charley Barley; Camerons of Foyers; Harry Dow; Scotts Signs Stranraer; WBS signs Stranraer.

Further information may be found on our Blog sitehttps://blueflashchallenge.wordpress.com/ or visit our Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/groups/429692947227666/

We ask for you support in donating to this worthy cause , donations can be provided via https://www.justgiving.com/Blue-Flash-Challenge

Please, feel free to forward this post on to anyone and everyone you think may be interested and help us raise awareness and funds for a good cause

Blue Flash Challenge weekend has received support from HRH Prince Harry, General Sir Laurie New and Baron David Rose, chief of Clan Rose of Kilravock as well as endorsements from many celebrities across the music and sporting world.

These events not only support a well-deserved charity, and highlight Armed Forces Day to the general public, they also encourage a healthy and active lifestyle in the over 50s as those participating in the sponsored events train hard to complete the gruelling journey across the Scottish Highlands against the clock.

We thank you very much for your time in readinghttps://www.justgiving.com/Blue-Flash-Challenge