ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is proud to award a £9,000 grant to the Hong Kong LEP Trust to fund its welfare services for Army veterans.
Since its establishment in 1992, the Trust has provided welfare services to former Locally Employed Personnel (LEP) members and families of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps and Royal Navy Hong Kong Division. The Trust currently supports 8,400 LEPs, most of whom are Army veterans whose service pre-dated the 1997 handover to China.
Through its Veterans Outreach Officer, the Trust provides a wide range of practical and financial assistance to elderly veterans, widows and dependants who are most vulnerable, largely due to the limited support from state-funded health and welfare services in Hong Kong.
A recent case typifies the Trust’s compassion and generosity in delivering front-line help to veterans in Hong Kong. Last year, a former British Army corporal received financial help to cover monthly living expenses after undergoing serious cancer treatment, followed by separate treatment for a spinal tumour. Fortunately, his health is now stable and being checked regularly.
Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chairman of The Hong Kong LEP Trust, said:
“The Hong Kong LEP Trust is hugely grateful to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for its enduring, generous support. Although the handover of Hong Kong to China took place 25 years ago, this grant shows the Hong Kong veterans that the British Army, through its national charity, still cares for them; they were proud to serve the Crown and are reassured that they are not forgotten.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, added:
“The Hong Kong LEP Trust’s work goes to the core of our charity’s mission to support the Army family right across the world. Everyone who’s ever served the British Crown in the Armed Forces deserves our gratitude and help where needed. So we are very proud to make this donation to help these loyal Hong Kong veterans and families.”
