LAST week, The Northern Echo launched an appeal to mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War by raising £100,000 for a Help For Heroes recovery centre at Catterick Garrison.

We feel it is a fitting way to remember the heroes of The Great War because it gives practical support to those who come back from modern war zones such as Afghanistan with physical and psychological injuries.

Our aim is to raise enough money to establish a new Wellbeing Centre at the Phoenix House Recovery Centre, which supports Army veterans and their families, at Catterick.

We have set out to reach our target by Remembrance Sunday in November.

There is a long way to go but the appeal has got off to an encouraging start.

Within the first week, readers have pledged £700 in initial donations and we know that fundraising events are being planned.

There are already moving examples of why people want to help. In today’s paper, we highlight the appeal’s first donor – Dorothy Laurence.

Dorothy pledged £100 because temporarily losing the use of her arm in an accident made her think about how many of our soldiers have to learn to live with permanent disability.

These are early days for the £100,000 For Our Heroes campaign but we are confident that the momentum will continue to build during this hugely important milestone of 2014.