09 Nov 2007 | Ref. 361/2007
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SSAFA Forces Help Project - Family Home
As part of BAE Systems’ commitment to supporting the Armed Forces and their families, the Company is donating £250,000 to help provide accommodation for families visiting injured Armed Forces personnel.
It is recognised that Service personnel are greatly aided in their recovery by having contact with close family or friends and the new flats and houses close to the UK’s Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court in Surrey and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak in Birmingham will provide respite for families and their loved ones.
The donation is being made through The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help charity who have been working closely with the UK’s Ministry of Defence on both accommodation projects. SSAFA Forces Help hopes that the first part of the project, the accommodation for Headley Court, will be complete soon after Christmas.
Andrew Cumming, Chief Executive of SSAFA Forces Help, said: “BAE Systems’ generous donation greatly assists SSAFA in providing this desperately needed accommodation for the families of our badly injured service personnel. I do hope that others will follow BAE Systems’ fantastic lead to enable us to meet our £5 million appeal target”
BAE Systems’ Chief Executive, Mike Turner, added: “Remembrance Sunday is a time when we stop to remember and thank those who have been prepared to put their lives on the line for us. I am pleased that the company has been able to support SSAFA’s good works for our Armed Forces and their families.”
Throughout the year BAE Systems supports a whole range of activities to help our Armed Forces. These range from sponsorship of Christmas gift boxes which the MoD sends to over 20,000 service personnel overseas, to concerts for troops organised by the British Forces Foundation and charitable donations supporting the work of Combat Stress and the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association. In the United States BAE Systems is a proud supporter of the USO, a private non-profit organisation which provides assistance for US military personnel and their families.
About BAE Systems:
BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 96,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15 billion (US $27 billion) in 2006*.
*On a pro forma basis, assuming BAE Systems had owned Armor Holdings Inc for the whole of 2006
About SSAFA Forces Help:
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families’ Association (SSAFA) Forces Help is the leading charity committed to helping and supporting those who serve in our Armed Forces, those who used to serve, and the families of both. SSAFA Forces Help provides a reliable, caring and trusted service to more than 50,000 people each year through a network of professionally trained staff and 7,000 volunteers.
For further information please contact:
Kate Watcham, BAE Systems
Tel: + 44 (0) 1252 383550 Mob + 44 (0) 7793 420731
Kate.watcham@baesystems.com
Scott Hailstone, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384725 Mob: +44 (0)7793 423068
scott.hailstone@baesystems.com
Issued by:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384719 Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
24hr media hotline: + 44 (0) 7801 717739
www.baesystems.com
