MAY I, through your paper, express my grateful thanks to all the Tavistock residents and visitors who contributed to the Army Benevolent Fund's collection which was held in Tavistock on August 27. A total of £1,229 was collected which will help a significant number of needy souls.

May I offer thanks to those who generously donated, and of course to those willing volunteers who gave their time to make the collection possible.

The Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) is the Army's national charity. For over 60 years the charity has worked tirelessly to provide financial and practical support to soldiers and their families in times of need.

The people we support include those with disabilities or mental illness, people experiencing homelessness or unemployment, and older people. The scope and scale of our work is vast and we currently help over 4,000 people a year.

We have seen a 30% rise over the past two years in applications from soldiers who have taken part in previous and current conflicts and we currently raise £7-milloion a year to meet this need.

As a result of current operations it is anticipated that the request for assistance will rise significantly in the coming years. It is the aim of the Soldiers' Charity to increase fundraising to £14-million a year by 2015 to be sure that we can help each and every soldier that needs our help.

Thank you all for your support.

T E A Hawkins