Shanklin Charity Fundraisers Step Down After Handing Over £44,000

A Shanklin couple are standing down from fundraising for Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes after totalling more than £44,000 in 13 years.

Terry and Jenny Hobbs have been fundraisers and registered volunteers for the Charity since they launched an annual dinner-dance in November 2011.

They began fundraising after their 20-year-old son, Aaron, was injured in Afghanistan, in 2010 – when the armoured vehicle in which he was travelling drove over an improvised explosive device – and he began receiving support from the Charity.

Now, after a hugely successful period they have decided to take a step back and allow 26-year Army veteran Chris Bartlett – who has himself been supported by the Charity – to take on the mantle of event organiser.

Terry explained:

“We started to fundraise to say thank you to Help for Heroes for all the help it gave Aaron, who was the sole survivor of the explosion.

"We set out initially to raise £1,000, but it just escalated from there, so we carried on.

“Jen has recently retired, and I have had two hip replacements and am awaiting a seventh knee operation, so we have decided to take a break from fundraising; but we will still be helping where we can with the people taking on responsibility for the dinner-dances.

“We have both taken great pleasure in fundraising to help others like our hero son. I will be maintaining my role as a volunteer and, who knows, after a well-earned break we may well take on another event”.

Help for Heroes’ Community Fundraising Manager, John Carpenter, said:

“Terry and Jenny have been amazing ambassadors for the Charity over the last 13 years giving talks, collecting cheques, managing collection tins, and, of course, organising the annual dinner-dance.

“I am sad they are talking a step back but thankful that they are still involved with the charity as local volunteers, and immensely grateful for everything they have done for us over the last 13 years.

I’m also pleased for them that they now will have more time to themselves. They deserve it.”

This year’s dinner-dance, at the Shanklin Conservative Club, in November, raised £1,609 which brings the overall total the couple have raised to a remarkable £44,224.

Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service.

The Charity helps veteran families to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 31,000 people and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.

The Charity supports veteran families, from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked under the command of UK Armed Forces.