Lila Jewellery has raised over £100,000 each for military charities Combat Stress and SSAFA, the armed forces charity.
Lila Jewellery’s founder and managing director, Frank Ross, has been supporting Combat Stress and SSAFA for over five years through the sales of his poppy jewellery. With 10% of RRP shared between the two military charities, Frank has officially donated £100,534 to Combat Stress, and has confirmed that he will be continuing his support.
“I would never have started selling poppy jewellery unless we could support our armed forces veterans, and to exceed the £200,000 combined target mark I set myself at the beginning of the year fills me with pride,” comments Frank. “It’s so rewarding to see the skills I have painstakingly acquired over 40 years in the industry go to such a good cause. I suppose what motivates me is my own past – coming from a family that was formed in the Second World War and seeing first hand that servicemen and women can be just as much affected by conflict as civilians.”
He continues: “I vividly remember as a child growing up and seeing Second World War veterans suffering from ‘shell shock’. One poor chap uncontrollably shaking while he was waiting for the bus to go to work and people just dismissively saying, ‘oh he’s got shell shock’, not understanding what that meant. It saddens me that as a society we seem to be incapable of learning the lessons of history and that today there is as great a need as ever to increase support for our veterans. So, if my contribution can make even a small difference then I’m glad to do it.”
Top: Lila Jewellery poppy pin.
