A RETIRED civil servant is urging businesses and the public to support the region's former servicemen.
Laurie Bristow, who served in the Royal Navy for 12 years, has been appointed to raise funds for the County Durham and Darlington branch of SSAFA Forces Help.
The charity's caseworkers help more than 1,000 service and ex-service personnel and their families every year.
Mr Bristow, of Tow Law, County Durham, who retired from the civil service in 1997, said: "There are more than 600,000 people living across County Durham and Darlington and the lives of a great many of those people will have been touched by some military association past or present.
"I am targeting our appeal at both the man in the street and companies and businesses - particularly those that have a considerable number of ex-service personnel on their books.
"I am looking for people to make an annual subscription, no matter how small."
Anyone interested in making a donation or subscription is asked to write to the county office of SSAFA Forces Help, 53 Old Elvet, Durham City or telephone 0191-383 9452.
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