Dropzone was founded to support veterans of the past, present and future, to remember the good times and the bad. All profits go towards mental health charities, focused on providing key care and support to those who need it.
Veterans and serving military & emergency services personnel have a huge sense of camaraderie; a sense of purpose; a sense of belonging and a sense of achievement which is very much part and parcel of their personal and professional existence.
Read on to see how Dropzone is getting involved and giving back.
80 years ago, Operation Frankton, popularly known as "The Cockleshell Heroes", tells how a handful of Royal Marines paddled 70 miles up the River Gironde during the hours of darkness. They took 5 days to reach Bordeaux, where they laid explosive charges on enemy shipping.
02/12/22 - A group of combined of serving and Veteran RM, RAF and Army attempt the same route with the purpose to raise Money and awareness of both the heroic action taken by these brave men 80 years ago and Veteran Charities which help and support our brave men and women of military services today.
"...The pandemic changed a lot of people - changed habits, routines, how we communicate. However these new problems have not replaced the old ones, just added too. People are still suffering with the personal battles - whether that is PTSD or loss - it has only been compounded with the recent events.
This latest challenge (7-day, 250 km / 155-mile footrace) is not just about raising money and awareness and my own well-being but about finding a way to encourage others to look and move forwards. I would like to raise money once more for three charities that I have a personal attachment to and that also do amazing work."
Dropzone launched a limited edition spirit collection to support veterans of the Falklands conflict with the aim of maintaining and promoting a sense of pride and comradeship among all involved in the South Atlantic campaign. The limited edition of whiskey, rum and gin will be restricted to 258 bottles of each; one for each person who lost their lives in the liberation of The Falklands. All profits will be donated to the SAMA82.
"We have received glowing praise from both veterans and their families, including that of high ranking Victoria Cross winners. Today I sat with a large group of ex and still serving members of airborne forces and sold a set in auction for over £3000."
On the 24th March 2022, Jack Jarvis became the first person to row solo, unsupported, from mainland Europe to mainland North America, securing an official Guinness World Records certificate.
"I may have been rowing solo but the support I had was incredible, from my family and friends to complete strangers. It was out of this world and made it easy to keep going.•The generosity of the general public was another factor that motivated me. I didn’t want to let anyone who donated their hard-earned money down. Together we raised more than £70,000 for brainstrust in memory of my Grandad. Thank you"
The main purposes of SAMA (82) are simply stated. We intend to maintain and promote a sense of pride and comradeship among all veterans of the South Atlantic campaign, and to keep them in touch with each other, in a manner which respects both individual privacy and personal requirements. We also wish to establish and maintain contact with other organisations involved in the welfare of the Armed Forces, and ensure that due consideration is given to the interests of South Atlantic veterans.
The mantra ‘Always a Little Further’ is core to the charity’s attitude, whether working with injured men and women from the Military or Emergency Services directly or by utilising their experiences to inspire and encourage young people and children. Pilgrim Bandits don’t do sympathy, but offer the rewards of belonging to a team, encouragement, belief and the power of humour over pain. Bandits’ primary aim is to help those in need directly, with no compromise.
At Scotty's, they aim to provide relief from the effects of grief for bereaved military children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served with the British Armed Forces. The charity provides its beneficiaries with support and guidance throughout their childhood and offers a respite, however brief, from the daily ups and downs of coping with the loss of a parent.
A small dedicated charity exploiting a discovery that scuba diving can help reduce or even rid PTSD sufferers of their crippling symptoms. We raise funds to fly and then accommodate UK combat Veterans in the Bahamas utilizing Deans Blue Hole on Long Island to complete the dives. The success rate so far according to the visitors is 100% and an independently scored mental health survey appears to back this up. It has been noted that individuals visiting, diving and then returning home have maintained symptom free lives and all say they are enjoying life like never before.
