In the Media - August

Peta's Lodged in our hearts

Ian Strachan, The Sun

WHEN she’s not running, cycling, or throwing herself out of planes for The Sun’s Help For Heroes campaign, Peta can be found putting a smile on the nation’s face by bearing all on Page 3.

This week, Page 3’s charity queen left her sports bra at home and donned something more seductive for a series of stunning snaps and as you can see from our sneak preview, the 30F beauty deserves a bit of an award herself.

Link: www.thesun.co.uk

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead: A Very British Coupé

Online Reporter, Classic Driver

Saturday was charity polo at Cirencester Park, where we were blessed with glorious sunshine. However, a drive to Big Sur, or at Cape Cod with a little spindrift in the air, four passengers cosseted in cashmere and fur, hood-down, is an appealing image.

Link: www.classicdriver.com

Sean Lamont hopes for room at the top table

David Hands, The Times

For Sean Lamont, the new season has more than ordinary significance. Not only does it mark Northampton's return to the Guinness Premiership after a year in National League One, the club's opening match against Worcester Warriors at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday will be Lamont's first game of competitive rugby in ten months.

The Help for Heroes match at Twickenham on September 20, designed to raise funds for service personnel injured on active duty, will be supported by Sir Clive Woodward, who coached England to their 2003 World Cup success.

Link: www.timesonline.co.uk

UK soldier killed on patrol in Helmand province

Lucy Bogustawski, The Herald

A British soldier was killed on patrol in southern Afghanistan yesterday.

The soldier, who has not been named, died when an improvised explosive device was triggered in Sangin, in Helmand province, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldier is the 117th British serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan since operations began in November 2001. Despite being given first aid at the scene he later died. Next of kin have been informed.

Meanwhile, the mother and father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan took his place in a charity parachute jump yesterday.

Link: www.theherald.co.uk

Skydiving Darren takes the plunge with the Red Devils

Online Reporter, Easier Motoring

Darren Turner has fulfilled a lifelong ambition and made his first parachute jump, and in doing the 13,000 foot skydive he raised £1,500 for the Help For Heroes charity.

The SEAT Sport UK driver, who has won two races and scored 129 points so far in this year's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, made the jump with the Red Devils - the SEAT UK-supported British Army's official parachute display team, which has a fleet of five Alhambras to transport team members and equipment around the country.

Link: www.easier.com

Grieving parents take plunge for paratrooper son

Online Reporter, Fenland Citizen

The Leicestershire parents of a soldier killed in Afghanistan have taken his place in a charity parachute jump. Before he died in a road accident in Helmand province in June, 32-year-old warrant officer Dan Shirley had talked about taking part in a skydive to raise cash for wounded soldiers.

His parents hope the jump will raise thousands of pounds for Help for Heroes through sponsors' donations. Details of their skydive will soon be posted on the Red Devils' website www.reddevilsonline.com.

Link: www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk

Wasps depleted for Guinness Premiership season opener against London Irish

Rob Wildman, The Telegraph

Champions Wasps must start the season without their two leading summer recruits in Serge Betsen and Mark Robinson because of injury. Both have been hurt in pre-season games and will miss Saturday’s Guinness Premiership launch in the London ‘double header’ against London Irish at Twickenham.

To complete a star-studded reserve game, Wasps are also awaiting confirmation that Lawrence Dallaglio will turn out. Though officially retired, he is keeping fit to play in the ‘Help for Heroes Match’ at Twickenham on Sept 20.

Link: www.telegraph.co.uk

Sir Clive supports Help For Heroes

Gary Sherrard, Leicester Tigers

Sir Clive Woodward, director of elite performance for the British Olympic Association and a member of the Leicester Tigers board, has given his support to the Help for Heroes match to be played at Twickenham Stadium on September 20.

The aim of the game is to raise funds for the rehabilitation of injured service personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sir Clive, England’s World Cup-winning coach from 2003, said: “I will be attending the Help for Heroes match on September 20th with my wife Jayne. It's a day I'm really looking forward to and I hope as big a crowd as possible turn up to support such a great cause and raise as much money as possible for our injured service personnel.

Link: www.leicestertigers.com

Gung-ho game featuring gnashing dog raises funds for war veterans

Luke Baker, Boston

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan - The challenge is simple enough: Run away as quickly as possible.

The only problem is, there's a highly trained, gnashing dog chasing you and he wants to chew you to bits.

It may not sound like the most attractive proposition, especially as you have to pay to have a go, but it's turned into a popular sport for gung-ho soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

And in the process it's raised thousands of dollars for war veterans cared for by the British charity Help For Heroes.

Link: www.boston.com

Barbarians play charity match

Online Reporter, Plymouth Herald

RUGBY: City rugby outfit Plymouth Barbarians are taking on a team from the Royal Marines in a charity game for servicemen this evening.

The match, at Plymouth Albion's Brickfields Stadium, is raising cash for the Help for Heroes Benevolent Fund and the Royal Marines' Benevolent Fund.

Tickets for the match, which kicks off at 7.30pm, are £5.

The evening will include a charity auction of rugby memoribilia and musical entertainment.

Link: www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

Night supports wounded of war

Online Reporter, Plymouth Herald

VETERANS, their families and friends have helped to raise £1,300 for servicemen and women injured in action.

The St Budeaux branch of the Royal British Legion organised and hosted the evening event in aid of the national charity Help For Heroes.

Live music, a raffle, bingo, card horse- racing and a quiz were just some of the events on the night.

A spokesman for the event said: "We were overwhelmed by the level of support and generosity of those people who contributed to the night.

"It was a fantastic amount to raise and we're delighted."

Link: www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

Dally calls on Hilly to Help the Heroes

Online Reporter, RFU

Lawrence Dallaglio has called on old friend Richard Hill to show his support for Help for Heroes at Twickenham on September 20 (kick off 2.30pm).

Hill, arguably one of the greatest back row players in the modern game, was known as England’s ‘Mr Dependable,’ totting up 71 caps from 1997 until his retirement in 2008.

The British & Irish Lions back row will feature in Dallaglio’s Help for Heroes XV alongside fellow 2003 Rugby World Cup winners Martin Johnson, Will Greenwood, Dan Luger and Mark Regan as well as Rugby League legend Martin Offiah.

"I'm delighted that I can help out and support this fantastic cause in any way I can.” said Hill.

Link: www.rfu.com

Apache pilots' tale of Afghan war

Russell Claydon, Evening Star 24

AS jobs go it has recently been voted as the second best in the world - missing out on the top spot to driving a Formula One racing car.

And now a pair of Apache helicopter pilots have chronicled the ups and downs of life in the cockpit during an emotional tour in Afghanistan.

The Wattisham Airfield-based pilots' book - which will help raise money for injured soldiers - is the first to tell the story of what life is like flying one of the British Army's £35million “flying tanks”.

Link: www.eveningstar.co.uk

Heroes get Fylde's gate takings

Online Reporter, Blackpool Citizen

Fylde Rugby Club has raised over £1,800 for the Help for Heroes charity which supports injured service personnel returning from conflicts such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All the gate takings from Saturday's double header - Fylde 1sts v Tynedale & Fylde Wanderers v 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment - will be donated to this worthy cause plus money earned through a raffle, the sale of HfH wrist bands and an earlier sponsored bike ride.

Link: www.blackpoolcitizen.co.uk

Bravery spurs on mum's Help For Heroes

Online Reporter, West Sussex County Times

A CHICHESTER woman is holding a raffle to raise money for servicemen and women who are injured in conflict. Maureen Cross, whose son Ken is a dog handler based in Afghanistan, is holding the raffle for charity, Help For Heroes.

Help For Heroes is aiming to raise millions of pounds to upgrade facilities at a military hospital in Surrey.

Mrs Cross said "This is not just for me, it is for everyone who has got someone in the armed forces, because they are all good people.

Link: www.wscountytimes.co.uk

300 miles with a stretcher

Alex Cameron, Somerset County Gazette

A FORMER Taunton student and his comrades in arms have completed a gruelling five-day march to raise money for a military charity.

L-Cpl Alec Purdie, 23, who went to Ladymead Community School, now works in the Royal Signals and was part of a Dorset-based team who carried a stretcher over 300 miles to raise awareness of those injured on current operations.

The event raised money for the Help for Heroes charity and symbolised all those service personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The route took the team from Plymouth to the Tower of London.

Link: www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk

GRIEVING PARENTS' LEAP OF LOVE FOR FALLEN HERO

Tom Mack, Leicester Mercury

Their son died proudly serving his country in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Now the parents of warrant officer Dan Shirley are to brave a skydive to show their support for other soldiers wounded in action.

Geoff and Janice Shirley, from Wigston, found out after their son's death, that he had been planning to take part in a parachute jump.

So, as one last gesture, Geoff, 63, and Janice, 61, have decided to take on the challenge.

They are now appealing for Leicester Mercury readers to sponsor them to raise money for the soldiers' charity Help for Heroes.

Link: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk

Rugby stars meet super troopers

Online Reporter, This is South Wales

TANKS, body armour and guns are not usually part of the uniform for sports starts.

But they were absolutely necessary when two Welsh rugby legends spent a humbling 24 hours in Iraq.

Scott Gibbs and Ieuan Evans are used to battling it out on the sports field.

But they joined some true fighting heroes when they travelled out to Basra with a party from Help for Heroes, a charity helping soldiers injured in British conflict areas.

The former Wales and British Lions stars spent 24 hours in the Iraqi city to publicise a fund-raising charity game, and boost morale in the war-torn area by overseeing a sevens match.

Link: www.thisissouthwales.co.uk

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