DecAid Appeal raises over £150,000 for Armed Forces charities

The Appeal was set up by people aged 25 and under. The team which comprised current and former students of Exeter and Plymouth Universities has raised over £150,000 for the Service charities: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and The British Limbless Ex-Servicemen Association (BLESMA).

The Appeal has received high profile support. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, DecAid’s Royal Patron, attended three of the charity’s events. DecAid also received backing from a host of celebrity supporters, adventurers and politicians. Co-host of The One Show, Alex Jones, said: “I’m delighted to support DecAid! It is a brilliant appeal set up by such enterprising students. It is so important for us all to support our troops that have served out in Afghanistan.”

Over the past year DecAid has organised a series of events around the UK. They began with a parade of 400 pipers and drummers down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and finished with a service in Salisbury Cathedral where a candle was lit to remember every British serviceman to have died in the conflict over the past decade. Their headline event was the Munro Mission. This saw two Exeter students summit all 283 mountains in Scotland over 3,000ft in just 49 days without the use of motorised transport. During the challenge they climbed the equivalent height of Mt Everest 14 times whilst dedicating each peak to servicemen who had lost their lives in the conflict. At the age of 21, team member Alex Robinson became the youngest person ever to complete a continuous round of all 283 Munros without motorised transport.

DecAid Co-Founder Rupert Laing said: “I am delighted that the Appeal has now raised so much for the charities we are supporting and that we can play our part in honouring those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice on this important anniversary of the conflict. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has helped us and donated so generously. I hope that we have encouraged more people of our age group to show their support for those affected by the Afghan conflict.”

John Adams, who lost his son in Afghanistan, said, “I really don’t have the words to describe how wonderful these young people are. I have such admiration for the enormity of their challenge.”