FOLLOWING the overwhelming popularity of our Heroes Return Two funding programme, I am delighted to announce the Big Lottery Fund has extended its scheme for a further year, enabling even more Second World War veterans from across the North-East to return to the places where they fought.

Originally, the grants scheme was scheduled to close this month but the Big Lottery Fund has decided to extend it to ensure as many veterans as possible can take advantage.

This extension will be a big help to those who have so far felt unable to make their personal trips back to the battlefronts.

These journeys help veterans come to terms with the traumatic experiences they remember and to honour the comrades they lost almost 70 years ago.

To date, more than 50,000 individual trips have been made to former battlefronts in Italy, France, Greece, Holland, Germany and the Far East.

Lottery grants are available for travel and accommodation costs for veterans or their widows, along with spouses and a carer. I would like to urge any veterans yet to be awarded a grant from the scheme to get in touch.

Details about the scheme, and how to apply, are available by calling 0845-0000121 or on the net biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn Anna Southall, Interim Chair of the Big Lottery Fund.