Tony Blair to donate proceeds of his memoirs to help rehabilitate injured personnel
16 August 2010
The Royal
British Legion is pleased to announce that Tony Blair will be
donating all of the proceeds from his forthcoming memoirs, A
Journey, to the Battle Back Challenge Centre, a Legion funded
project that will provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation services
for seriously injured Service personnel.
The Legion has now committed £25 million over 10 years to support the MoD's Personnel Recovery Centre (PRC) programme which was announced earlier this year. The charity's funding support covers the running of the four PRCs and all the capital and civilian running costs of The Royal British Legion Battle Back Challenge Centre - a major part of the programme which aims to help seriously injured personnel using sport and outdoor activities to help physical rehabilitation and confidence building. The innovative project will help injured personnel fulfil their potential and get back to active duty or civilian life.
The Royal British
Legion's Battle Back Challenge Centre is due to open in summer
2012. The Legion expects that most injured personnel who are able
to return to active duty will go through the Battle Back Centre as
part of their recovery. The Centre, which will be open to personnel
across the Armed Forces, will provide accommodation and a
state-of-the-art gym and training facility.
Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion,
said:
"The Legion is delighted to accept this very generous donation
which gives an excellent start to our fundraising target of £12m
for the Battle Back Challenge Centre and a total of £25m as our
contribution to the provision of the world class service for
injured personnel for the next 10 years. The culture of the Centre
will very much be about what users of the service can do rather
than what they can't but some of the Service men and women are
likely to need the Legion's support for the rest of their lives. Mr
Blair's generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a
real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured
personnel."
A spokesman for Tony Blair said:
"Tony Blair decided on leaving office that he
would donate the proceeds of his memoirs to a
charity for the Armed Forces as a way of marking the enormous
sacrifice they make for the security of our people and the
world. The Royal British Legion is just such a cause.
"In making this decision, Tony Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the Armed Forces demonstrate day in, day out. As Prime Minister he witnessed that for himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Kosovo. This is his way of honourng that courage and sacrifice.
"We have been consulting with a number of people and organisations to decide the best support he can give. There is one project consistently highlighted: The Royal British Legion's Battle Back Challenge Centre.
"As Tony Blair said to the House of Commons on his last day in office: "I believe that they [the Armed Forces] are fighting for the security of this country and the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life. But whatever view people take of my decisions, I think that there is only one view to take of them: they are the bravest and the best.""
Ends
For more information on the Legion's Battle Back Challenge Centre, click here.
Media contact
Liam Maguire, PR Officer, The Royal British Legion
T: 020 3207 2242 M: 07769 968 858 E: lmaguire@britishlegion.org.uk
