Airsoft Action 01 - Oct 2011 | Page 7

AIRSOFT AIRSOFT NEWS NEWS SSAFA FORCES HELP RIDE OF BRITAIN Will you challenge yourself for SSAFA this summer and support the first Ride of Britain cycle? SSAFA is the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association. They provide support for those who serve in our Armed Forces and those who used to serve – even if it was only for a single day – and care for the families of both. Like all registered charities they organise a number of events during the year to help raise much-needed funds. The Ride of Britain takes place from 20-25 September and covers the 470 miles from Edinburgh to London, by bike, hand-bike, or tandem. The route covers countryside through Cumbria, the Yorkshire Dales, the flat land of Lincolnshire and quaint villages of Cambridgeshire. On the final day, you’ll peddle through the buzzing atmosphere of London, finishing at the iconic Horse Guard’s Parade. Leading the way by hand-bike and tandem will be Rifleman Michael Swain, who lost both his legs, and Rifleman Paul Jacobs who was blinded in Afghanistan in 2009 in a separate explosion. Michael says, “I hope we can inspire the public to sign up to support SSAFA, as well as servicemen and women who are receiving rehabilitation at Headley Court. SSAFA helps so many families and I’m proud to be able to give something back. ” Paul, who will be guided on a tandem bike by his brother, is appealing to more of his fellow servicemen and women to take part. “We need members of the Army, Navy and Air Force to sign up to represent their service and support this amazing charity” . If you would like more information, or to sign up and take part, contact either Laurena at SSAFA, on 020 7463 9297 or Challenge Event Organisers, , Across the Divide, on 01460 30456 (yes, it is a short number!). WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HEROES Being there: that’s the only way to truly understand what our forefathers endured on the field of battle. The anticipation, the fear, the camaraderie – we can but imagine it, but to those who fought and died it was as real as it gets. There is a saying: “A battlefield without a guide is just a field. ” If you want a really unique insight into the workings and horrors of war, you need to be right where it actually happened. Matt Limb served in both Bosnia and Iraq and was awarded an OBE in the Operational Honours list in October 2003. Matt now runs Matt Limb Battlefield Tours and will take you step-by-step across the most famous fields of conflict – from the mud-filled tranches of The Somme, to the tank tracks of Normandy and beyond. You’ll experience first-hand how campaigns were won, or lost, and what it must have been like to grapple with the enemy at close quarters. Matt will take you right to the battlefield, not the memorials and museums of battle. If you are interested in joining Matt as he walks in the footsteps of heroes, he can be contacted via his website – www.mlbft.co.uk – or by phone on: 01476 560645 and if you mention that you’ve seen this article, he might even give you a discount! www.airsoftactionmagazine.com 007