In this special podcast marking our 80th Anniversary, we look at the past, present and future of the Army Benevolent Fund, with guests including the charity’s Chief Executive, and three of our ambassadors.
We hear from our Chief Executive, Tim Hyams, about why the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) was set up in 1944, and how it remains true to its founding purpose today – to support soldiers, former soldiers and their families in times of hardship or need. Tim discusses how the charity has grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of the Army family and will do so in the future.
Also joining host, Harry Bucknall, are our ambassadors, Alix Hale, Andy Reid and Mark Harding, who spoke to us during his walk from his home in Carlisle to Oosterbeek, Netherlands, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.
Corporal Andy Reid MBE received vital support from the Army Benevolent Fund after he was injured by an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2009. Now a charity founder, published author, and our ambassador, Andy says: “I’m so passionate about supporting ABF – who were there for me and my family, right at the start of my journey, and have been with me ever since.”
Alix Hale, 23, talks movingly about how the charity stepped in to support her family when her father, Captain Mark Hale, died in 2009, and why she is proud to be our youngest ambassador.
Congratulating the Army Benevolent Fund on its anniversary, Alix says: “A huge thank you to everybody who has worked at the charity in those 80 years, to everybody who’s stood outside and shaken a bucket, to everybody who’s put money in that bucket, to everybody who’s listening to this podcast and taking an interest in what they do. The charity wouldn’t be here without its supporters and its very dedicated team.”
Thank you to all our contributors for their help in making this special episode.