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As a valued supporter, we are pleased to bring you up-to-speed with a weekly round-up of activities from RMA – The Royal Marines Charity and the wider Corps Family.
This Saturday marks the 359th Birthday of the Royal Marines. It is a time to celebrate this remarkable Corps and the wider Royal Marines Family. We are supremely proud to be their own dedicated Charity and Association. Check out our website tomorrow to read the Commandant General Royal Marines’ Birthday Message to the Corps.
Other news this week includes an invite to join the birthday celebrations with Cakes 4 Commandos; a hard-hitting but powerful reminder of the life-long support that, with your help, the Charity can offer those in need – and a not-to-be-missed offer for RM history buffs.
Thank you as always for your continued support
Driven to action
We have been enormously touched by the kindness of one of our readers who was so moved by a recent story we shared with you about one of our beneficiaries, that he contacted our Grants’ team with a very generous offer of additional help.
The story was about Clive, a former Royal Marine from Edinburgh who is living with a number of service-related injuries – he has a bullet fragment in his brain, suffers from memory loss and has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Struggling with the cost of living and currently on benefits, he refuses to give in, and is doing all he can to lead the best life he can, working hard to resolve his financial issues and trying desperately to return to work.
With the help of the Royal British Legion, we awarded him a beneficiary grant so he could learn to drive and continue to take the positive steps to improve his life and overall well-being.
“I have read your post about Clive,” wrote our reader. “I’m currently a fully qualified ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) but live far from where he lives so unfortunately I’m not in a position to offer him any help. I would have taught him for no cost. However, I would like to offer funding for five driving lessons for Clive, so if you can put his current driving instructor in contact with me, I will arrange for payment.”
Our Health & Wellbeing team is currently in communication with all parties involved to action this big-hearted and much-appreciated gesture.
Triple treats!
“They all pushed their boundaries and comfort zones and many persevered through pain to reach the peak. They all did a cracking job.”
So reports our Fundraising team who headed up north last weekend to offer some cheer and moral support to those who had bravely signed up to take part in RMA – The Royal Marines Charity’s Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.
The 24-mile (38.6km) ‘round-trip’ routing included 1,585m (5,200ft) of ascent taking in the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent (694 metres), Whernside (736 metres) and Ingleborough (723 metres) – all in under 12 hours! The hills form part of the Pennine range and encircle the head of the valley of the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Fundraising manager, Vicki Drinkwater said: “We avoided the floods and storms and the team faced a foggy route during the first half of the day – some said the fog was a help as they couldn’t see how much further they had to go to the top! Absolutely sterling effort across the board. Currently, they’ve raised over £4,500 with lots of pledges still coming in – enormous thanks to all for this absolutely fantastic achievement.”
Making a run for it
Massive thanks to all the serving and former Royal Marine Commandos who took part in the recent 12-mile speed march. They ‘yomped and shuffled’ from Barnstaple to Saunton Sands Hotel in North Devon via the Tarka Trail, past RMB Chivenor and Crowe Point in aid of RMA – The Royal Marines Charity and the Special Boat Service Association, overall raising a magnificent £3,404!
Chair of RMA North Devon, John Peel, was one of those taking part (pictured right) – although he had another motive. Having already completed his ambitious 1664 Triathlon Challenge of covering 1,664 miles/ 2,678 km earlier than planned at the beginning of October, he couldn’t resist RMA – The Royal Marines Charity’s recent call-out to take part in our ‘Mission Critical’ Virtual 3 Peaks Challenge’.
So, ‘taking up the gauntlet’, he committed to cycle, swim and walk and add the extra 453 miles/728km to his already amazing achievement by 21st December – and the Commando Shuffle provided him a perfect opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Bootnecks and at the same time tick off a few more miles from his latest goal. Utterly awesome!
If you would like to support John, you can access his enthuse page here.
‘Commando Don’t Drink’
At the beginning of this month, former Royal Marine Jonathan Rees started his ‘Commando Don’t Drink Challenge‘, for which he will be going alcohol-free for 32 weeks – the equivalent length of time it takes to train to become a Royal Marine.
He has chosen to raise funds for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity after the Charity supported him financially towards the cost of an urgent cancer treatment operation which saved his life.
“I was lost where to turn and got directed by a friend to the Royal Marines Charity. They helped to pay for the treatment I needed to save my life, for which I will forever be grateful.”
You can read Jon’s moving story and help him reach his £2,500 fundraising target here.
‘The late gift of a son we never had….’
Paul faced many tough and gruelling challenges during his 15 years as a Royal Marines Commando, with service that included Cyprus and Northern Ireland.
But since leaving the Corps, this veteran’s family life has been filled with personal tragedy and heartbreak.
Paul is now a pensioner, living with debilitating chronic health issues. He is nevertheless still working to support his extended family including those coping with autism, learning disability and illiteracy; as well as with mental health challenges, and suffering from long-term medical issues such as cystic fibrosis.
He and his wife have no savings but considerable debts and liabilities, and struggle to keep their heads above water even with the help of debt management services. To the detriment of ‘Mum and Dad’, his daughters have been his priority, trying to ensure that their finances are manageable.
Then, as if this was not enough, a double tragedy hit the family like a bolt out of the blue.
You can read Paul’s story below and how much the support of RMA – The Royal Marines Charity has meant to a couple who have found themselves in a situation they could never in their wildest dreams have ever imagined.
Blackpool Ironmen
‘Very tough day at the office but we all made it’. Having won the team competition in 2021, seven intrepid former Royal Marines and quinquagenarians led by Chris Vincent (pictured right, lh pic) recently took part in their own YO Sep 94 Royal Marine Ironman Challenge 2023 at Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth in Devon.
We are hugely grateful to them for, to date, raising close to a whopping £3,000 (including Gift Aid) for our Charity!
Shopping Corner
You can save £8 by pre-ordering from the Royal Marines Shop FOUR TWO, The Official History of 42 Commando Royal Marines 1943-2023 by Dr David Abrutat, former Royal Marines Commando and Military and Intelligence Services’ historian.
FOUR TWO is the story of 42 (RM) Commando from the darkest days of the Second World War right up to the complexity of the Commando Force battle space. It is a rich and varied history from fighting our nation’s enemies, providing humanitarian aid in the remotest areas of the globe to people they have never met, to keeping drugs from our shores, adventures in some of the most extreme environments and public duties on the streets of London.
Protecting the high seas
The Royal Navy reports it has helped West African nations counter pirates and smugglers and strengthened ties in the region in efforts to protect valuable trade routes.
Patrol ship HMS Trent is deployed long-term on a mission to the Mediterranean and African waters and, in her second deployment to the Gulf of Guinea with a specialist Royal Marines boarding team and a Puma surveillance drone, worked with coastal West African nations to disrupt illegal activity and promote security along busy shipping lanes.
Alongside allies and partners, they worked to develop skills and techniques required to counter illicit activity that ultimately harms the prosperity of African nations and disrupts shipping that brings trade to UK shores.