** The report from the dinner evening ** Well what a day Friday was, it wasn’t just the end of the week, pay day and start of a new month it was also the day Carping4Heroes were holding a dinner night at the WO’s and Sgt’s Mess (Ballieul) in Arborfield but before we indulged in a little pomp and ceremony we had first been invited by Help for Heroes to visit Tedworth House in Tidworth and at 0700hrs seven tired and weary souls made their way from East Yorkshire to meet with another five individuals at 1230hrs in time for the 1pm visit, although Ian Chillcott and Adam Penning were slightly delayed because of the druids at Stonehenge (actually Penners got lost but we won’t embarrass him). Tedworth House is the flagship personnel recovery centre (PRC), which is funded by Help for Heroes and a place that offers injured, sick and wounded servicemen and women the chance to access ongoing help and support with their recovery and transition in to civilian life and beyond. When we arrived at Tedworth House it was immediately clear that this was going to be something a little bit special, the amazing building that the MOD lease to H4H is as elegant as they come to look at and the bronze statue of the famous H4H stretcher at the entrance to the house really gives you a feeling of pride, but it’s when you walk in to the grade ii listed building that you soon realise how special the place is. Yes it wouldn’t look out of place in a series of Downton Abbey and has been impeccably refurbished inside and out, but what makes Tedworth House so special is the immediate sense of warmth your greeted with not only by the architecture and decorating but by the staff that work there, the next 2 hours was going to be inspiring. We were greeted by Mark Elliot who is head of external relations for H4H and straight away his relaxed but passionate nature captivated us all for his 45 minute talk on H4H, from its humble beginnings from a loft to its now huge operation in just over 6 years, we also learnt from Mark all aspects of what H4H deliver to help support our servicemen and women, in addition we learnt that many residents have nicknames such as triple Josh (lost 3 limbs), no feet Pete (lost legs) and one eyed Si (lost an eye) which tells you the remarkable strength and courage that these people have to overcome terrible tragedy and trauma to go on and lead active lives, something that prior to 2006 when H4H was founded may not have happened to many on such a successful scale. Following Mark’s talk which was superb we were then shown around the facilities that are available to all residents that use Tedworth House, and the only way to describe them is incredible. It’s easy to use the term 1st class when talking about good sports equipment or similar facilities, but in the case of what’s available at Tedworth House, they are above and beyond that and in a league that puts many professional sports clubs and centers to shame, for example the relaxation room was donated and built by British Airways and isn’t just a nice quiet room for the guys to sit in and get away from it all, but a fully kitted out room like a first class cabin of a Boeing 747 complete with iPads and docking stations so the guys can listen to music or watch films and relax in comfort, truly remarkable. Having toured the house and seen first-hand how H4H support our guys and girls we were left feeling humbled but at the same time it also gave us a sense of pride in that it was all paid for by donations made by the British public and from events such as Carping4Heroes and as Mark Elliot said, this cause isnt just a short term affair, these people need our support for life and as long as they need that support, H4H will continue to be there. Once the visit to Tedworth House was complete we then made our way to Arborfield, the home of the REME for the dinner night and what a night it was to be. 40 people descended on the Ballieul WO’s and Sgt’s Mess including special guests Adam Penning and Ian Chillcott and our guest of honour Simon Harmer who is a H4H Ambassador and double amputee after losing both legs in Afghanistan to indulge in fine dining and company in a setting that can only be described as pompously elegant. The dinner took the format of a regimental dinner and for quite a few of the this was to be a completely new experience and one that most if not all really enjoyed by the end of the night, the formal traditions really set the tone for the evening and as we stood behind our seats in a candlelit room with the table full of priceless silver awaiting the top tables arrival you could sense the spirit of the night ahead. Once the top table arrived and Grace was said by Simon Bangert, the Corps ASM, Mr Marcus Mason opened the evening with a wonderful speech which was then followed by a lovely meal that was served by a great team of waiting staff. As with all traditional mess functions once your seated you cannot leave for the toilet until the head of the table says so, you can imagine then how some people were feeling after 60 minutes off dinner service once the wine started to flow, luckily a comfort break was given after only 90 minutes, which meant that as far as we know, nobody wet themselves or peed in a bottle under the table. As soon as the comfort break was over we went straight into the traditional toasts with the port which was followed by the most inspiring and truly humbling talk by our guest of honour Simon Harmer. Simon, who is a medic was 26 days into his tour of Afghanistan with the Coldstream Guards when he went out on patrol and 200m after leaving the patrol base he stepped on an IED, being the patrols medic he quickly realised his injuries and talked the young Guardsman through the first aid procedures required to keep him alive, which is remarkable in itself but what was even more remarkable was that 5 weeks after the incident Simon was in Headley Court starting his rehab and 3 weeks later was back on his ‘feet’ and walking again, an unbelievable story of strength, courage and determination. Following his rehab Simon went onto Tedworth House to continue his recovery and he says that without H4H and the support and passion of those involved then his recovery may never of happened and for all of us sat there his story really underlined the importance of the event and why we raise money and support H4H and to see the true benefit of how the money is used is far more powerful than PowerPoint slides and facts. After the standing ovation Simon received from the audience and deservedly so the raffle and auction began where a phenomenal amount of money was raised. An auction wasnt on the cards initially, but after selling out of raffle tickets it seemed fair to hold one to allow everyone a chance of winning something, once the raffle finished, Simon Bangert got the auction underway and included 2 very special and surprise donations from Adam and Ian who both donated tutorial sessions that eventually went for £500 and £600 respectively with the other lots making £630 and in total £1,730 made from the auction which was an unbelievable and unexpected amount of money raised and as soon as the auction was complete the guests retired to the bar and Ante room where the remainder of the evening was carried on and carried on they did and in fine style, for a great cause. It was a very memorable evening with great tales of fun and joviality but it was also memorable because many people from lots of different backgrounds, many of whom had never met each other, came together for a common cause and showed yet again that the world of carp angling really can do itself proud. The final amount raised from the evening was £2,310 which is not only a phenomenal amount of money but it also highlight’s that the best time to hold an auction is when everyone is blinding drunk!!
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 22:09:21 +0000
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