Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

A new price comparison insurance website has been launched with the specific aim of helping deliver healthcare to armed services veterans. Called ForcesAid.com, the new UK website is the brainchild of a team of veterans led by Kevin Richards, who is a director of ForcesAid.com. “It’s a simple idea – a site which can help anyone find the best possible deal on different types of insurance with the key add-on that it also helps to raise funds to provide healthcare for armed services veterans,” said Mr Richards. “It’s a powerful sales message. Members of the public can help our brave servicemen and servicewomen by carrying out a routine activity which is very much a part of everyone’s lives nowadays, searching the internet for the best possible deal. “In addition to getting a good deal on insurance customers can feel happy that they have contributed towards charitable funds to help the treatment of veterans.” The ForcesAid website allows price comparison on car insurance, home insurance, m...

There was a VIP visitor to the Bridgend HQ of the Healing The Wounds charity, the Welsh-based team which works to treat victims of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Ogmore MP Huw Irranca-Davies was on a fact-finding visit to catch up with the work of the charity. The charity’s work has stepped up another gear in recent months, with regular treatment courses for victims of PTSD taking place at the charity’s HQ. Healing The Wounds executive director and charity founder Kevin Richards said: “Mr Irranca-Davies seemed genuinely interested in the treatments for post traumatic stress that we deliver to our veterans of the Armed Forces. “We were delighted that he spent his time listening to us. “Healing the Wounds is forging ahead with plans to set up a dedicated residential facility within Wales for the treatment of PTSD and we are currently considering a number of affordable options.” Healing the Wounds secretary Carol Richards, who is also a trained PTSD treatment practitioner, s...

Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity dedicated to helping victims of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received another snub from the Help for Heroes charity. Help for Heroes has turned down a grant request from the Bridgend-based charity. “We probably shouldn’t be too surprised,” said the founder and executive director of Healing The Wounds, Kevin Richards (pictured above). “We have had plenty of discussions with Help for Heroes before about the way funds are allocated to Wales and our hopes were fairly slim when we submitted the grant application. “There is a major identity problem within Wales over what the two charities do and I have known some people to get us confused with Help for Heroes. “We are a very different type of charity. “Help for Heroes operates on a UK-wide level and only pays lip service to Wales. It also works closely with the Ministry of Defence, which means it is often filling in gaps in MoD requirements. “Help for Heroes, as a charity, also draws the lin...

At the Healing The Wounds charity, they firmly believe in the title of the Will Young hit ‘Anything Is Possible’. It could even be something of a motto for the charity, which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Event manager Amie Phillips is a big fan of Will Young . . . so, on the basis of ‘anything is possible’ she asked for a favour when he visited a South Wales radio station. “We asked Will if he’d be kind enough to autograph one of our Healing The Wounds banners and he was delighted to agree after it was explained to him what the charity’s work involves. “His autograph is the first on our banner, but it will be the first of many we hope as we plan to get more celebrity autographs and endorsements. “Then, when we’ve filled as much of the banner was we can, we will put the finished banner up for auction to raise cash for the charity. “As an auction item it will be a real one-off and of great appeal to celebrity autograph hunters.” Amazingly, in December W...

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, described by The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s greatest living explorer, is lending a hand to Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Sir Ranulph took time out this week to help record a promotional film for the Bridgend-based charity. “It was an honour to meet such an inspirational gentleman with such amazing achievements to his name,” said Healing The Wounds executive director Kevin Richards. “Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been named the UK's top celebrity fundraiser by Justgiving.com. He’s raised a whopping £2.5million for Marie Curie Cancer Care in just two years. “With achievements like that, we are so very grateful that he agreed to help us out with our promotional film. “The film work was carried out at The Celtic Manor Hotel in Newport and the final edited version is likely to be broadcast as a TV advertisement for the charity’s work. “Sir Ranulph took the time to talk to us about t...

Bristol Channel Swim for Healing The Wounds A team of 13 firefighters swum the Bristol Channel to raise cash for sufferers of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Officers from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service swum 36 nautical miles in aid of Healing The Wounds, the charity which supports Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families and members of the civilian emergency services. One of the event organisers, Watch manager Gareth Davies, said he was delighted with the success of the swim and hoped that the event would raise £10,000 for the charity. “We know that £3,500 has already been pledged and we hope that further promises of cash will bring the total up to £10,000.” The swimmers set off from Ilfracombe at 10am on Saturday, June 25th, and by swimming in relays managed to cover nearly a mile an hour, reaching Mumbles by 3pm yesterday (Sunday). Mr Davies said: “We’d trained hard for it, but it was still a massive test of stamina and willpower. “Overnight, we had...

Acclaimed Hollywood star Michael Sheen has carried out his first ‘official duty’ as a patron of the Healing The Wounds charity which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Michael wowed members of the ladies coffee morning section of the Naval Club at Sandfields, Port Talbot, as he helped present a cheque to Healing The Wounds Charity. The £1,500 cheque was presented to Kevin Richards, founder and Executive Director of the charity. Mr Richards said: “We were delighted when Michael Sheen agreed to become a patron of the charity. “Michael is very interested in the work of the charity and we are sure that he will help us put the charity firmly on the map in Wales.” Sheen recently completed an epic open-air production of The Passion in his hometown of Port Talbot. He is famous the world over for his film roles, which include playing Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough. Mr Richards added: “Michael Sheen is a big box office star and a person who obviously cares...

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg took time out to catch up with the work of the Healing The Wounds charity when he visited the Welsh Lib-Dems annual conference. “He was very interested in our work and what we are going to fund treatment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in Wales,” said charity co-founder and Executive Director Kevin Richards. “It was plain that he has a great awareness of the issue and he wanted to catch up on all our latest activities.” Mr Clegg visited the Healing The Wounds stand at the conference with the leader of the Welsh Lib-Dems Kirsty Williams AM. Mr Richards said: “We are very grateful to Kirsty Williams as she has been a keen supporter of the charity. She has seen first hand how treatment programmes for PTSD have helped one of her constituents. She has always been very supportive of our work. “Mr Clegg asked plenty of questions and we were able to brief him on how we have started to help PTSD victims in Wales and what future treatment programmes we h...

Carmarthen horsewoman Julie Oliver has helped raise more than £470 for the Healing The Wounds charity. Julie and her horse Fakima completed the eight-mile trek from Bwlch Newydd to Carmarthen town centre last November. She decided to support Healing The Wounds as her son Timothy Smith is serving with 2 Royal Welsh and has recently returned from a tour of Afghanistan. Julie said: “I wanted to do something to help our Welsh soldiers and to make the time go faster while Tim was away in Afghanistan.” Julie has another ride planned for the spring to raise funds for Healing The Wounds and the charity’s work to fund treatment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in Wales. Healing The Wounds founder Kevin Richards joined Julie and her son Tim at his surprise 30th birthday party in The Railway Club in Carmarthen. The event was attended by friend and fund-raising coordinator Bethan Walters and Tim’s friend Simon Bartley. The cheque totalled £470.75. Simon will be leaving for a tour of Afgh...

The chief of the Healing The Wounds charity has criticised the Welsh Assembly Government and Health Minister Edwina Hart for snubbing the fund-raisers. The Executive Director of Healing the Wounds, the charity that is working to help Armed Forces Personnel, Veterans and their families in Wales, said he was desperately unhappy about the response of the WAG. “We have requested meetings with Health Minister Edwina Hart, but she has declined to speak to the charity,” said Kevin Richards. “Also, there was a distinct element of farce about our most recent meeting with the WAG’s officials.” The charity is still looking for suitable premises for a Welsh convalescent home and treatment facility for victims of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Last week, the charity announced it had been forced to drop its plans to site a home at the historic Golden Grove Mansion House in the Tywi Valley. “The mansion has reached such a stage of dereliction that it is no longer viable for the project,” said...

The organisers of the Healing the Wounds Golden Grove Mansion Appeal have been bowled over by the response to a HTV Wales programme featuring their campaign. “It has made a huge difference to public awareness,” said Kevin Richards, Director of Healing the Wounds, the appeal fund which aims to turn the famous Golden Grove Mansion in the Tywi Valley into a convalescent home for the Armed Forces. “The appeal is already being talked about within the local community, but the HTV Wales Sharp End programme took us to a whole new, national level,” said Mr Richards. “The feedback to the programme has been tremendous. A lot of people out there are unaware of the difficulties our servicemen and servicewomen face when they return from the battlefields and when they try to rebuild their lives in the civilian community.” The programme presented the shock statistic (reported by the Howard League for Penal Reform) that as many as one in 10 of British soldiers who have fought overseas end up in jail af...