WHAT IS FAB ?     

Families’ Activity Breaks (FAB) is a non-public funded, tri Service initiative in partnership with YHA (England & Wales) Ltd., providing fun and challenging activity holidays around the UK for bereaved Military families.

Families’ Activity Breaks
If your child is aged up to 19 years old and has suffered the loss of a loved one who was serving in the Armed Forces, then you may be eligible for a FAB holiday. The holidays offer an adventure for all the family and a welcome break to meet and socialise with others who have experienced a similar loss. A loved one can mean a parent, a step parent, or a child’s legal guardian, carer or sibling.

FAB was originally conceived in early 2008, and run as a highly successful pilot in the summer of 2009 where 24 families attended at two locations, Coverack in Cornwall and Whitby in North Yorkshire. In 2010 we increased this to 50 families and it is our intention to further increase this to 60 families throughout 2011.

FAB is staffed by volunteers from the Armed Forces and Defence civilians, helping as mentors, lending a helping hand or simply being someone to talk to. They are all trained by the Candle Project, a bereavement counselling service run by St Christopher’s Hospice, London, who specialise in supporting children and young adults facing bereavement.

Where are the Camps?

Whitby, North Yorkshire

Right on the headland, 199 steps up from the cobbled quayside and smack next door to the famous ruined Abbey sits Abbey House. YHA’s new home in Whitby. The views of the Esk Valley and surrounding coastline are to die for, as is the brand new, fully-refurbished accommodation. Relax in the historic gardens or spend a day on one of the nearby sandy beaches. Explore the nearby moors on foot or bike before sitting down to fine food in our restaurant. This is a Centre offering a real multi-activity break including paintballing, canoeing, shelter building, tree climb, orienteering, low rope activities and horse riding.

Coverack, Cornwall

Situated on the Lizard Peninsula, this hostel is ideally situated for families of all ages that love a holiday by the sea. YHA Coverack is ideally placed to explore the Southwest Coastal Path with its panoramic views of dramatic cliffs and deserted coves, and the pretty seaside village with its lovely sandy bay is just a few minutes walk down the hill. This hostel, a Victorian country house, was fully refurbished in 2008. It provides excellent 4 star accommodation in 9 bedrooms, 6 of which have double beds, 5 are en-suite with spectacular sea views. There are spacious grounds for children to play games and an extended camping area in the orchard. The multi-activity programme includes horse riding, archery, canoeing, abseiling and zip wire, raft building, orienteering, beach sports and coasteering.

If you would like more details on how you can participate be it a family or a volunteer to help these wonderful people who go the extra yard to make a holiday with a difference please click on the FAB link below.

Please feel free to add your experience if you have attended one of these camps as all feedback is appreciated.

Maddocks Pavillion

Sports Ground, Moor Lane, BA9 9RA

Devon and Dorset Old Boys will visit Wincanton to play Yeovil
Town FC Old Boys, An entertaining game finished 5-4 in favour
of the side made up of former Yeovil and Wincanton Town players last year.

Veterans Squad 2011:

Mark Lamble: Captain
Clive Bridgeman
Lee Mason
Tommy Turner
Darren Thomas
Jamie Crisp
Chris Flower
Andy Donovan
Mark Bartlett
Tony Rice
Pat Ranger
Sandy Storrie
Shaun Breslan
Jim Breslan
Rob Moorse
John Ledgister
Julian “Alex” Higgins
Ossie Austin
Jamie “Dicky” Hill

Come on down for a fun day out and meet your old mates from your army days.

As well as the football match there is :

RAFFLE

PAINTBALL RANGE

RIFLE STAND

CHILDRENS ENTERTAINMENT

REFRESHMENTS

Come on down and have a laugh watching the players relive their youths !!!

The Nuts course is approximately 3km long and is one of the most challenging assault courses out there.

Originally designed by personnel from the British Special Forces to push the individual to the limit, the Nuts organisation understands that not all participants want to push themselves that far, so we have come up with the nutty scale that allows you to choose the challenge to suit your individual requirements.

Start off with the 1km cross country run, separating the soft nuts from the hard nuts, then continue on to the dry course – climbing 3m high bales of hay and enduring a 15m crawl in the dark on to our mock village where you will need to climb through windows and doors before finally crossing a roof into the woodland where you encounter fallen trees, river crossings, slippery banks and uphill tunnels.

Then it’s through our traditional assault course, with rope swings and high walls and on to steeper terrain; through a flowing river, brush and swamp, onto the steeple chase – over fences and the big and little dippers. Descend mud slides and traverse murky ponds ending with a quarter km run back to the finish for those on the least demanding of the nutty scale (More Nuts).

For all those who would like to take part in this event please contact Joanna Brodie at brodieresidence@aol.com are you NUTS enough !!!!!

For more information about this event please contact The Blue Boar.

Affiliated with the AMCA to run Classic and Twinshock races in Dorset. The day will have over 150 racers in different categories all racing around the rolling fields of Wincanton.

Over the last couple of month the Trust has been busy behind the scene’s and we are now pleased to announce our recent donation of £5000 to the Royal British Legion to help towards Somerset Legion House.

For service men and women across the country, Somerset Legion House is a haven of a retreat.

Overlooking Weston-super-Mare’s seafront and opened by the Duke of Kent, guests have said the house is better than a “five-star hotel”.

Anyone who has served in the armed forces as well as their dependants are eligible to stay there, all free of charge.

Since it opened in October 2007, about 1,200 people have stayed.

Although guests are mainly aged in their 70s and 80s, those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have also stayed along with their families in the summer holidays. The house caters for all ages however they do not have care staff.

The house is the largest of four such ‘hotels’ which the Royal Legion look after. The other three are based in Bridlington, Southport and in Northern Ireland.

They have 49 twin/double rooms and one single room and can cater to all needs with the equipement they have from special baths/showers and equipement.

For the first time in August and for the whole of that month they are going to open their doors to families that have been more recently affected by conflicts, some of these will be servicemen and women who have suffered injuries or havebeen effected in some way in Iraq and Afghan and the children will range from a few months old to 19.

It is a fantastic establishment and the postivity and professionalism shine through along with their passion  they all go the extra mile !!

Additional fundraising in Weston Super Mare so that they can give that little extra to all visitors that stay, one recent initative they have done is to raise funds to give each child a present when they come to make them feel welcome.  They also try and give every one Christmas presents as some of these people have no family and are totally isolated.

It is with great pride that I’ve accepted to be a patron for The Undentable Trust. I won’t pretend that I knew Mark as well as many but he had a fairly big impact on my life.

 Two weeks after joining the battalion my father died and Mark, as my first Sergeant Major,
unwittingly filled a void of being the person that I would think of when I was in a tight spot. “How would Mark deal with this?” became quite a powerful tool to get through situations that had me flustered at first. In Crossmaglen he almost single-handedly held the company together with his many qualities that have been listed elsewhere time and time again.

Almost a decade after I left the military Mark continued to inspire me whilst I was attempting to walk the length of the Amazon River. Cut off from civilisation as we know it I struggled to stay focussed and
positive. I would slip into dark moods and become angry at the slightest annoyance. Sometimes, acknowledging that I wouldn’t behave like I was were there other men around me I would imagine Mark alongside me shaking his head and smiling saying, “Sir – what on Earth are you doing?” It was often enough just to give me perspective, laugh at myself, and get a grip.

Great men have auras about them – they have nothing to prove and nothing
to hide. They aren’t afraid to be caring because their inner strength is
evident and needs no bolstering. In my eyes Mark was a great man.

I hope that this trust – set up in Mark’s name – can go some way to
continue the positivity and inspiration that Mark gave off when he was
alive. I wish everyone who gives up their time and energy to make sure
that happens the very best of luck.

Ed Stafford

–
Ed Stafford FRGS
edstafford.org

Many thanks to all the other entrants of the event who aided and assisted all the walkers and runners alike, was a pleasure to take part in such an incredible event where people were not just interested in themselves all deserve respect for their efforts.

Roll on next year when I will have to return to complete the challenge !!!

The Charity Team within the AA Insurance office at newcastle – arranged a “love tombola” – prizes had been donated from different companies around the north east and they sold raffle tickets to everyone around the office.

Many Thanks from The Undentable Trust