AIR TATTOO TREAT FOR FOUR FAMILIES
FOUR families who have lost loved ones in conflicts overseas have been treated to a day out at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The families were given tickets to the airshow in a joint venture between the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, parent company of the RAFCT Enterprises which organises the Air Tattoo, and the Forces Children's Trust, a charity set up to offer everything from bereavement counselling to socialising days out for children whose loved ones have died while serving in the British Armed Forces.
Mother-of-two Toni O'Donnell from Leamington Spa has been involved with the Trust for the last two-and-a-half years since her husband Gary was killed in Afghanistan at the age of 40, when their youngest son Ben was just nine weeks old.
"It's lovely to come here to the airshow," she said. "Aidan (my eldest son, aged 10) just loves all the planes and loves the noise, anything that flies. It is great for the kids; their faces light up when they see each other again.
"They see the repatriations time and time again and the pain never goes away for them. They don't talk about it but when the children get together they open up. You overhear them chatting about it, which is really good for them.
"Children bottle the pain up but being with other children in the same position really helps them."
Founder of the charity, Denny Wise, who has two grown-up children Rebecca, 25, and Jonathan, 23, spoke about the purpose and ethos behind the charity and how much a trip to the airshow was appreciated.
"We found out about the Air Tattoo tickets four or five weeks ago and we are very pleased, of course," he said. "It's a great opportunity for the children, and the families are elated.
"The children are the innocent victims of any situation and, as our slogan says, 'to help a child is an honour'. What they get from days out like these is that they are able to make new friends and bond with other children who are in a similar situation and it gives them a sense of understanding.
"The families at the Air Tattoo today all know each other and these days out are very very important. The Forces Children's Trust is one big family; I know them all by name. They are an extension of my family."
August 5, 2011
