East regional winners

Two pupils from The FitzWimarc School in Rayleigh who have tirelessly fundraised on behalf of The Poppy Appeal have been recognised in The Royal British Legion's Friends of The Forces Awards.

Ben Coombes and Nathan Bull have won the Youth category for the East on behalf of the school for the exceptional support they continue to offer the British Armed Forces. 

The other winners in the East were Lt Col (Retd) Tom Ridgway who won the Individual category, The Hamilton Project which won the Community Group category and Tesco which won the Commercial Organisation category.

Ben Coombes and Nathan Bull

Pupils Ben Coombes and Nathan Bull organised a Christmas raffle on behalf of The Poppy Appeal. They approached Harrods for gifts, persuaded their families to donate prizes, and gave up their lunch and break times to sell the tickets, raising an impressive £240.

They followed this up with a Charlie & the Chocolate Factory-themed raffle and decorated the winning box of chocolates themselves, raising about £200. 

The FitzWimarc School also built a 'Percy the Poppy Pupil' out of a wooden frame, chicken wire, and 600 poppies to raise money for a Forces charity. Percy was used to raise awareness around the town, appearing in the local press several times.

The school also held a 'charity day', collecting £1,749.79. Pupils signed the petals of poppies with a message to veterans, and 1,000 of them were made into one giant collage.

Head of Year 8 Basil Cassar, said, "We are extremely proud of Nathan and Ben as not only did they come up with lots of ideas, they took the time to implement and oversee them. They made a great effort to promote The Poppy Appeal within The FitzWimarc School and this involved speaking to their peers during assemblies (daunting for most pupils!). They gave up a great deal of their own time for this most worthy cause. As Head of Year 8 I'm very proud to have Nathan and Ben in my year group."

Ben and Nathan added "We both really enjoyed working for The Poppy Appeal. We were very happy to have raised so much money and to have won this award."

Lynette Francis, The Royal British Legion's County Manager for Essex said, "Ben and Nathan and the whole school have put in an exceptional effort to offer help and support to the Armed Forces family and we are extremely pleased to be recognising their dedication through this award. We received hundreds of excellent entries from across the East, however the judges were incredibly impressed by the outstanding work that they have been doing. On behalf of the British Armed Forces, The Royal British Legion would like to say a huge thank you to both Ben and Nathan."

Ben Coombes and Nathan Bull on behalf of the FitzWimarc School have been shortlisted for the National award in the Youth category. 

Lt Col (Retd) Tom Ridgway

Lt Col (Retd) Ridgway became involved with Springhill Prison in 2003 when he was asked to visit a former Serviceman before his release. The visit was to become a key factor behind the 'Veterans Prison In-Reach' initiative and following his success at Springhill, Lt Col (retd) Ridgway now works in conjunction with HMPs Grendon, Woodhill, and Aylesbury YOI.

He has handled hundreds of cases and, with the local Royal British Legion County staff, has raised many thousands of pounds for those in need. He also initiated the inclusion of an advertisement into 'Inside Time' (the national monthly newspaper for prisoners), which has by now directly helped over 1000 men serving prison sentences.

On hearing of his win, Tom said: "This award is an acknowledgement of the work that is carried out nationwide to help ex-Servicemen serving prison sentences prepare themselves for their return to the community on release. This welfare work is done across the country by trained volunteers and is extended to support the dependent families of the men. I am overjoyed to have won this award and want to accept on behalf of those who work so tirelessly beside me."

Dr Peter Bennett – Governing Governor of HMP Grendon and HMP Springhill said, "I am delighted that Lt Col Tom Ridgway is the regional winner of the 2010 'Friends of the Forces' award. This award is richly deserved given Tom's invaluable contribution to the resettlement and rehabilitation of ex-Servicemen who have for a variety of reasons, entered the Criminal Justice System as offenders." 

Lt Col (Retd) Ridgway has been shortlisted for the National award in the Individual category. 

The Hamilton Project

The Hamilton Project is a business support programme which teaches the process of enterprise and supports ex-Service personnel and veterans who want to set up their own business.

Dr Tracey Marr from The Hamilton Project said, "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award and proud to have been honoured by The Royal British Legion for what we have achieved with The Hamilton Project. Over the last five years, close to 500 ex-Forces personnel have been provided with access to our book, enterprise education and mentoring from The Hamilton Project. This award represents the culmination of the hard work undertaken by an excellent team and a number of voluntary supporters and fundraisers. We would like to dedicate this award to all our supporters and the family of the late Richard Hamilton."

Rob Blair (Ex-Royal Marines Commando 8yrs), a Hamilton Project beneficiary said, "Since originally meeting The Hamilton Project team back in 2006, they have offered constant support, from the initial start-up to a now expanding and passionate business. The old saying 'There are no friends in business' does not, will not and has never applied with any meetings, conversations or exchanges of ideas with Tracey, Russell and Philip. Very rarely do you find a group of people outside of your family and close friends that are genuinely interested in you, your business and how you can turn your dreams into reality. I have experienced the highs and lows as all start-up businesses do, however, with their expertise, guidance and friendship I have turned my pipe dream into a highly rewarding and respected business."   

Tesco

Every year Tesco opens their stores to fundraisers from The Royal British Legion and last year that led to £2.8 million being raised for The Poppy Appeal. 

In 2009, ABF The Soldiers' Charity (formerly the Army Benevolent Fund) was nominated as their in-house staff fundraising charity and with various activities going on in stores across the country Tesco managed to raise a staggering £500,000 for the campaign.

Josh Hardie, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Tesco, said, "We are delighted to have won this award. It's an honour to support the Armed Forces' fundraising activities and testament to the determination of our staff who have done so much to support service personnel."

Chief Executive of The Soldiers' Charity, Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter said: "Congratulations to Tesco on this award. It is heroic fundraising efforts like these that allow The Soldiers' Charity to make a real difference to the lives of soldiers like Corporal William Reid who lost both legs and his right arm as a result of an Improvised Explosive Device while in Afghanistan last October. In order for him to recuperate at his home in Lancashire there was an urgent need for a wheelchair ramp and some other adaptations before he could gain access to the house. The Soldiers' Charity was able to do this work in about 10 days."

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