A soldier who was badly injured in a rocket-propelled grenade attack last year has thanked everybody who supported a Colne event close to his heart.
Tom Kingston attended the bag packing fund-raiser at Sainsbury’s, Colne, organised by his mum and customer services team leader Linda Gibson. A total of £871.50 was raised over two days, all of which will go to Troop Aid.
Tom, who leaves the Army next April, has experienced first-hand the work of the charity, after he was given a “Grab Bag” during his time in hospital. The 23-year-old, whose brother Jamie (25) also serves in the Army, said: “I was extremely grateful to Troop Aid when the bag came. When I arrived back in the UK, I was taken to Birmingham Hospital, where I had no clothes, shower gels, nothing. The charity stepped in to give me stuff I needed.
“It is a hard enough time as it is, so just by doing that little thing the charity is able to take the pressure off your family. It is one less thing to worry about. I am really pleased with the result of the bag-packing. The people of Colne dug deep and gave a lot of money.”
Sainsbury’s also put flags up around the store and a board containing pictures of local soldiers. Linda (53), of Burnley, said: “It went brilliantly well. The board created a big interest, and we were also selling wristbands, car stickers and flags. Each bag costs £25, so we will get a few bags out of the money raised.”
