Beer for the Boys

"Beer for the Boys" has been running since 2007 with the aim of providing a free can of beer to servicemen and women flying home from Afghanistan on RAF TriStar aircraft, which are operated by 216 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Alcohol is not available to British troops whilst serving in the Middle East, making the experience of a cold thirst-quencher on the flight home all the more special.

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Beers Donated 36,000

Beers Delivered 48,000

Money Donated £41,883.60

Since the last update in March (which can now be found at the bottom of the 'About' page) the totals of beer and money donated have continued to rise at quite a rate! We're currently receiving £2-3000 per month from members of the public who want to say thanks to a Serviceperson for serving their country although, as ever, the more we receive the more we can hand out! A special mention must go to members of Bicester Hash House Harriers who visited 216 Squadron this week. We were delighted when they handed us a cheque for £3192, half the proceeds from their 4-day run along Hadrian's Wall in April (the other half went to Help for Heroes). This is by far the largest single donation we have received to date and our sincere thanks go to those who took part.

We recently heard from the South West branch of the Society of Independent Brewers, who offered us a sizeable donation of bottled beer. As we couldn't use this on board our TriStars, we put them in touch with 40 Commando Royal Marines, the majority of whom are currently serving on operations in Afghanistan. 40 Commando were delighted to accept the beer and will be serving it to their lads at their homecoming party in the autumn. As well as offering a can of lager or bitter to passengers on board TriStar aircraft as they fly back from Afghanistan, we are beginning to receive more requests for funding towards homecoming parties for Service Personnel once they return to the UK. Any unit from the British Armed Forces can apply for a donation, and if this applies to you we'd love to hear from you (using the details on the right). We've recently made pledges to units from all 3 Services and will continue to do so until the money runs out or the conflict in Afghanistan comes to an end (hopefully the latter!)

We're also delighted to report that Wing Commander Chadwick, who came up with the initial idea for Beer for the Boys, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday honours list. Congratulations Chadders, we're all proud of you!

“I read about Beer for the Boys in The Daily Telegraph yesterday. I am enclosing a small contribution towards your fund, partly because it is a splendid idea and also as a small thank you to our service men and women for all they are doing in Afghanistan. I am sure they will very much enjoy their refreshments, and I hope you receive a great many donations.”
-HB, London