How you can bring some festive cheer to our troops overseas

This year's Conservative Future Christmas social action project is seeing activists sending packs of supplies, food and presents to our troops overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan - and all ConservativeHome readers have been invited to get involved.

It's a fantastic way of bringing some festive cheer to the troops serving our country overseas and Anastasia Beaumont-Bott explains here how you can do your bit:

1. Shoe boxes. All packages under 2kg for troops will be sent out free of charge by Royal Mail! Shoe boxes are the perfect size for packing pressies and goodies and to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas, they have to be ready by 5th December for Afghanistan, and by 10th December for Iraq.
2. Goodies, foods, and pressies! This is the fun part. It's time to dig deep and come up with the goods. You know that can of soup in your cupboard that doesn't go out of date until 2012? Yeah, we'll have that for the packs. You know those nice pair of socks you got given for Christmas ages ago but have never worn and are still in the packaging? Yeah, we'll have them too! But you know that chocolate bar? Not so good, it will melt in the mail. Here are some other things you might want to think about including: magazines (though please be aware of what is culturally acceptable in Iraq and Afghanistan), soap, hand cream, biscuits (though not chocolate ones), paperback books, suduko puzzle books, packs of tissues, pic 'n' mix sweets (apparently VERY popular!), diluting juice powder sachets, soup sachets (think cup a soup etc...), deodorants (NOT aerosols though, only roll ons) etc.
   

3. Saying thanks. Something I really want to include in the pack is a short letter of thanks. Words can never describe how grateful we are for what our servicemen and servicewomen do out there for us, but by sending them some presents and letting them know we are thinking of them at a time of year when we will all usually be with our loved ones, we can go some way to saying that very special thank you. So when you’re packing up your shoebox, don’t forget to include a little Christmas card saying thanks and asking the soldier to share the presents with his fellow servicemen and women!
4. To our troops, with love. Time to send the packs out! The idea is that we send as many packs as possible out to our troops and then the items be distributed amongst the camp when they arrive. In order to do that though you will need the name and address of a soldier.  Our lists of soldiers will not be being made public but if you send me an email at [email protected] saying you've got your shoebox ready, I will pass you on a name and address for you to write on the parcel and then take to the post office.  By all means if you have friends, family or loved ones serving over in Iraq or Afghanistan, you are more than welcome to send your shoe box to them.  But why stop there? Send as many shoeboxes under 2kg as you can manage and together, we can bring a bit of Christmas to our troops.
5. This is my shoebox and I sent it to... As a final stage of the Packs for Troops project, why not take a quick digital snap of the inside of your shoebox.  Then write a short paragraph, 3-4 sentences about why you are taking part, what’s in your shoebox and what you would like to say to our troops this Christmas.  Email the photo and the paragraph to me at [email protected] and we’ll put it up on the CFSAN blog along with your name.

Here's hoping for a bumper ConservativeHome response!

Jonathan Isaby

Comments

[Dorian knows soldiers]

http://tinyurl.com/5wbt5l

It could be worth a gander at the Army Rumour Service as linked above. There are logistics implications as per official MOD advice but have a look at the comments of frontline servicemen.

This may be a better destination:

www.helpforheroes.org.uk

But all credit to you.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

From my brief time in the Forces, I know most troops would be particularly delighted to receive herbs, spices and things like tabasco sauce so they can spice up their 24-hour ration packs, as a week on burger-and-beans can get a bit boring!

Magazines like FHM and Nuts are also popular, but be sure to check with Michael Gove first!

[Raj]

So has the Army blocked these parcels, or does Anastasia have a way of getting around the reported block on parcels coming from non-friends and family? There certainly is an argument about the logistics problems of all the parcels.

I may consider a donation to one of those charities instead.

[support the strivers]

hi, I think this is a great idea but am unsure now that I read the comments on the soldiers' website. They are basically saying that such parcels clog up the logistics systems and stop presents from family getting through in time.

I wonder if there is charity that packs things up that I could spend a few hours helping? does anyone know of one?

THese guys and women out there are so much more deserving of our help than so many at home frankly. They are doing a horrendous job, without complaint, for a cause that many don't believe in. They get low pay, and go without the equipment and back up that they deserve.

I hope either this initiative or another one work - Anastasia, any thoughts on the links posted above?

Jonathan, excellent post, thanks

[Julian]

Would have thought kevlar plates for body armour would be a thoughtful thing to send, given how the MoD refuses to help. As an example you can get an Aegis panel now for around £20 at:
http://www.outdoorsurplus.co.uk/acatalog/Aegis-Armour-Panel.html

[Anastasia Beaumont-Bott]

Hi

Just wanted to respond to the commets about the logsitics of the project. I am aware that the reason the MOD blocked the parcels going out to "a serviceman" and "a servicewomen" was due to them stopping presents from friends and families getting through. However, every soldier taking part in our project has agreed to recieve the parcels addressed personally to them and distribute them amongst their fellow men and women on their various camps. :)

Thanks for all the support and the first packs for Afghanistan left earlier in the week. KEEP THEM GOING GUYS!!

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott

[The Bishop Swine]

I cannot pretend that I do not great trouble with the morals of our war but I am reminded that it is a Labour war not a conservative one. The best festive chair we can give them is the certinity that things will be less awful once we have got this shower out. Our commitment to our troops will continue to be an important plank of the next election victory. As for the Arabs, I wish we could find a peace.

[Jonny]

I have read that this was being discouraged this year as last year the Postal services received such a large amount of parcels that personal parcels from the soldiers families werent being able to get through. Perhaps it is best to run it past the MoD first?

[comstock]

er, shoe boxes are all very well but if your party had had some balls and voted against the iraq war, those troops would be spending christmas at home.

Just a thought, folks.

[Sally Roberts]

And a Happy Christmas to you too Comstock! :-)

[comstock]

And an (early)Merry Christmas to you, Sally, but the simple fact remains that politicians have put these poor chaps in the firing line, so for a politically party (who supported the war) to be collecting shoe boxes for them seems slightly sick to me.

Can anyone else see my point here?

[Sally Roberts]

Comstock that isn't fair! Many of us feel that we were taken into this war under false pretences (WMD ring any bells?) and we believe in supporting our troops who do a fantastic job under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. If that involves sending them shoe boxes full of goodies then I for one am absolutely in favour.

[comstock]

(i'll make this my last comment on this thread because I've made my point)

If Conservative Future wanted to bring 'some festive cheer' to the troops, they could join the groups campaigning for the withdrawl of our forces from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm sorry you feel this isn't fair, Sally, but soldiers are dying, and your party prefers to send shoe boxes rather than try to bring them home.

[Anastasia Beaumont-Bott]

Just another quick note to "comstock."

The Packs for Troops project isnt a party initative. It is an idea put together by the individual folk in the Conservative Future Social Action Network as part of our Christmas projects to reach out and help those less fortunate. We have also launched a fundraising project to help build a water well in Luwero, Uganda as well as putting together 14 Christmas hampers to go to various charities and salvation army branches across our country to help folk at Christmas during econimal hardship.

Supporting your troops isn't about being pro-war or anti-war. We have a choice about what wars we do and don't support, if any. They don't, but they go out there bravely and put their lives in the line for us and others. The least we can do is say, you know what chaps, you're doing a bloody good job, we admire you for it, and we're thinking of you this Christmas.

That is what this project is all about and I am proud of all the friends and families of the soldiers who have helped CFSAN and myself do it.