A PAPHOS-BASED non-profit scheme operating holidays for injured or traumatised military personnel is appealing for accommodation for a young amputee for next month.
“We have a young soldier coming to Paphos in June and we are hoping that someone has a three or four-bedroom ground floor apartment or villa they would be willing to donate for two weeks,” said Alan Wilson, the founder and coordinator of the scheme.
According to Wilson the young soldier lost both his legs above the knee and sustained other injuries in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.
He will be a guest of the scheme, which is run by Military and Retired Cyprus Holidays (MARCH) in the last two weeks of June.
The scheme was founded in 2010 by Wilson, an ex military man himself, and his wife Barbara.
“We want to give this young hero the best holiday possible as he and his family has been through so much,” said Wilson.
He said that if nobody donates a property free of charge, supporters can make a donation on the MARCH website-www.march-cy.org- so that a property can be rented for the wounded soldier, his family and carers.
MARCH is run in cooperation with the SSAFA – the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association, and currently has personnel arriving on a weekly basis. Wilson said that despite a fantastic initial response by homeowners in Cyprus to donate their properties, the scheme is running short of villas and apartments.
He said: “if there is anyone out there who’d like to donate their holiday homes to these very deserving heroes please contact us. I appeal to the public to please visit our website and show your support for our armed forces. Because of the sacrifice the military personnel make and their willingness to give their all, we can live here in racial, religious and cultural freedom.”
Wilson said the idea for the scheme came to him after realising how many unoccupied villas and apartments were being looked after by third parties in Cyprus.
“We had the idea to contact the owners to ask if they would like to donate a week or so, free of charge, as holiday accommodation, in order that military which have been injured, disabled or traumatised during their assignments in conflicts could have a well earned break,” he said.
The scheme offers priority to wounded and disabled serving and ex serving personnel.
For further information, to volunteer or to donate a property or money www.march-cy.org
Or call Alan Wilson on 00357 99850355.
