‘WE NEED TO GIVE FORCES FAMILES TIME TOGETHER TO RECOVER’ – FORMER DEFENCE SECRETARY
8 June 2012: A new charity to provide holidays for recovering armed service families has been launched by former Secretary of State for Defence the Right Honourable Dr Liam Fox MP.
In partnership with Afghan Heroes, the registered charity set up by the mothers of soldiers killed in Afghanistan, this new initiative is called ‘Give Us Time’.
The idea is to provide families of those recovering from trauma of combat to adjust in a neutral and quality environment. It will apply to those who have lost a loved one, those who have suffered physical injury and those who suffer from the mental stress of combat.
Dr Fox said: “During my time as Secretary of State for Defence I was extremely heartened to see how we improved the treatment of those who had been physically injured in combat.
“Medical improvements in prosthetics, better physiotherapy and improved social attitudes all contributed to a better chance of rehabilitation. In terms of psychological trauma – the invisible scars of war – we are making progress, though perhaps at a slower rate.
“One of the areas where I think there remains room for improvement is the integration of service families into this equation.
“As a doctor working with the Armed Forces I learned the importance of seeing our personnel, not as isolated individuals, but as members of a wider family and community dynamic.
“Give Us Time has been made possible thanks to generously donated week-long holidays in second homes, holiday homes and timeshares across the UK and beyond.
“We now look forward to helping those returning from active service recover through this scheme.
“We are launching the property registration part of our website on Monday 11th June and we will trial the system throughout the rest of 2012, rolling it out more extensively in 2013. We aim to launch the armed service family part of the website in September this year.”
Denise Harris, founder of Afghan Heroes added: “When we launched Afghan Heroes, one of our main objectives was to provide support for families of the fallen and those returning from theatre.
“I know through personal experience how difficult it can be for those who have suffered loss or injury to recover. Give Us Time is a fantastic initiative and will go a long way to help those who have put their lives on the line readjust to a normal civilian life.”
This launch has been made possible by various partner organisations who have kindly donated their valuable time and resources, including Serco, VenueDirectory.com, Fanatic, and Cobweb.
For further information please visit http://www.giveustime.org.uk or www.aghanheroes.org.uk
ENDS
Issued on behalf of Give Us Time and Afghan Heroes by Empica Ltd. For further information, contact Martin Powell or Laurence Phillips on (01275) 394400 or (07963) 092074.
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