The National Memorial Arboretum Appeal was launched in April 2009 by its Patron, The Duke of Cambridge, to develop the Arboretum into a world-renowned centre for Remembrance and to ensure that there are necessary facilities for the 300,000 visiting families, Service men and women, veterans and members of the public each year.

The Appeal will fund the building of a Veterans Pavilion to provide a venue for functions, events, and acts of Remembrance. The Appeal will also help create a Remembrance and Learning Centre, which will have a strong focus on explaining to visitors the importance and meaning of Remembrance.

The Arboretum is a charity run by staff and volunteers and is part of The Royal British Legion family. It is home to many memorials, including the Armed Forces Memorial, which commemorates all those who have been killed on duty or as a result of terrorism from the end of the Second World War to the current conflict in Afghanistan.

There will be three short speeches before dinner from The Duke of Cambridge (the Appeal Patron), Major General Patrick Cordingley (the Appeal Chairman) and Mrs Jacqui Thompson. Mrs. Thompson is the widow of Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson of 3 Squadron RAF Regiment, who was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April 2008. At 51, Gary is the oldest member of the UK Armed Forces to have been killed during the 10 year conflict. Jacqui, an inspiring mother of five daughters, will take the opportunity to explain to guests the personal significance that the National Memorial Arboretum and the Armed Forces Memorial has for her and her family

For more information: Andrew Baud, The Royal British Legion, 07775 715775, andrew.baud@talapr.co.uk

Prince William meeting veterans at the launch of the Appeal

Click on the leaf above to donate to the Appeal