£12,000 to help military families in need

A Honiton based charity, which has helped members of the military and their families to get the funerals they deserve, has been given a donation of £12,000.

The donation to The Bastion Baton Trust, known as ‘The Baton' is thanks to the generosity of families who have funerals at East Devon Crematorium and agree for any metals which remain after cremation to be recycled.

With their express consent, funding is then raised through a national recycling scheme run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.

Craig Mounty, Team Manager at the crematorium which is based in Whimple, said: "The founders of The Baton have shared with us some really heart breaking experiences of families being unable to gather the money needed for a funeral deposit.

"As they are a smaller local-based charity, they can often make much quicker decisions to provide grants to those who need it and be there at an extremely difficult time in their lives.

"We see many military funerals here at East Devon Crematorium with the armed forces having a significant presence throughout Devon and the south west. We feel very proud to be able to support service families through the invaluable work of The Baton."

Set up in 2008, The Baton's primary aim is for awareness and any funds donated are used for immediate, often emergency, support and to assist individuals striving to improve their personal situation.

The Baton has been crafted with respect from the handle of a MERT (Medical Emergency Response Team) stretcher from Camp Bastion Hospital, Helmand Province, used in battle to carry the wounded and those in need.

It is used to contain a message of gratitude from those who wish to support the brave men and women of our armed forces who regularly risk their lives so that we may live with freedom of choice, peace and safety.

Alan Rowe MBE, Founder of The Baton, said: "The donation will be of immense and immeasurable use in our aims to provide emergency support for those in desperate situations. Any funds we are given go further as our ethos has been a no wages, minimal expenses policy right from the start ensuring as much as possible of a donation goes to where people would want it to go."

The charity is also the Grant Holder for the project One Is Too Many (OiTM) which is an endorsement of trust from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The project is undertaking two year research with bereaved families who have lost a loved one through suicide. The invisible injury of mental health has been a huge issue for military personnel for decades - and it is hoped that through this work, those who are at significant risk of suicide will receive the life-saving support desperately needed.

Set in 10 acres of land, East Devon Crematorium is complete with landscaped memorial gardens, established woodland with ponds and areas of wildflowers and grasses.

To find out more about East Devon Crematorium, visit www.eastdevoncrematorium.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EastDevonCrematorium. Or to find out more about The Baton, visit www.thebaton.co.uk.