Hi
As you are aware Richard Hunt was the 200th service person to loose their life in Afghanistan.
Hazel Hunt the mother of Richard did not want him to die in vain so along with family and
friends set up The Richard Hunt Foundation.
We have been holding talks with Monmouthshire County Council and have now confirmed a
date for a Music and Family fun day to raise funds and awareness for our injured and
often forgotten heroes. In the ten weeks since Richard passed away we have raised in
excess of £10,000 this has gone to Help For Heroes, The Poppy Appeal and other charity
organisations. We hope to continue to raise funds and see this the first of hopefully
many large scale events to be held.
We can now announce the date of the Music and Family fun day to be held at Bailey Park in
Abergavenny on the 15th May 2010.
The day will consist of live music from a wide variety of bands, displays, funfair, trade
stalls, food and drink. The planning is in the very early stages but we believe we have
a very good team working on this event and we have had so many offers of support it is
overwhelming.
For more information please contact us.
Eirwen Rogers
Events Co-Ordinator
01873 810105
info@welshwarrior.co.uk
The Richard Hunt Foundation
Below is a story that is in todays South Wales Argus
FAMILY and friends of Abergavenny soldier Private Richard Hunt raised more than £10,000 for army charities his memory in just ten weeks since his death.
Private Richard Hunt was the 200th soldier to die from fighting in Afghanistan.
He died aged 21 after being wounded in an explosion while on a vehicle patrol near Musa Qala in Helmand Province.
But since his death on August 13, his family and friends have vowed to do what they can to help other soldiers and their families.
Through donations, fundraisers and even by placing Help for Heroes collection boxes in local shops, Pte Hunt’s family and friends have raised between £10,000 and £11,000.
£7,000 of this has already gone to Help for Heroes, £1,700 to the Royal British Legion and £500 to the Royal Welsh troops currently in Afghanistan.
Pte Hunt’s mother Hazel Hunt said more money has been received on top of this increasing the total to what she estimates to be more than £10,000.
With the help of other trustees, all of whom are either friends or family members of Pte Hunt, Mrs Hunt has set up The Richard Hunt Foundation which they are in the process of establishing as a non-profitable charity.
This will be launched at the Angel Hotel in Abergavenny on November 27 and local businesses have been invited in the hope of them becoming sponsors of the charity.
The foundation has also written to Welsh personalities from the military, rugby and music worlds asking them to become patrons of the charity.
The aim of the foundation is to help individual soldiers attached to the Welsh regiments who come back psychologically or physically injured and to help them readjust.
Mrs Hunt said: “A lot of families struggle to help with equipment or making sure they get the right treatment . If we can’t help them we can point them in the right direction of people who can.”
Mrs Hunt said they are hoping to hold two or three major fundraising events per year and are already in discussions with Monmouthshire county council about holding a family fun day at Bailey Park in Abergavenny in May.
A charity music event is also planned for the Market Tavern in Abergavenny in January.
One of the foundation’s long-term aims is to set up an outdoor activities centre at the family’s home in Abergavenny which could be used by Welsh troops when coming back from their tours of duty.
Mrs Hunt said work with the Foundation is helping to keep her focused but that she has “up and down days”.
Today the Richard hunt Foundation recieved this poem from David Butler, he has kindly agreed to let us post it here and on our site.
Thank you so much for such kind words.
Not Forgot
Are our sons forgotten,
Or will they ever be
Have lives been wasted,
For peace we'll never see
Loved one's still to die
And those who went before
Will live within our hearts
As our hero's evermore
Men who bravely answer
This their country,s call.
Even in their time of death
Stand so proud and tall.
A man was once a boy
And when his day is done
Still his fathers pride and joy
And still his mothers son
Forgotten they will never be
By loved ones they left behind.
A promise that we make to you
Their Names upon our lips you'll find
Not just on one sad Sunday
In November cold and bleak
But every hour of every day
And every day of every week
On Monday evening ITV showed a documentary following Richard's mother Hazel. The mother of the 200th UK soldier to die in Afghanistan investigates whether enough is being done to protect our troops on the battlefield, and what care is offered to the injured.
During the making of the documentary there were other pertinent questions asked by Hazel but the powers to be did not want these aired, we are looking into whether we can air these to the public domain or not. The film is linked to below take 30 minutes to watch as Hazel asks the questions we all want answers to.
http://www.itv.com/ITVPlayer/Video/default.html?ViewType=5&Filter=104033