MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands War Veterans Pilgrimage Plans and Fund-Raising Go Ahead for 2002.

Three hundred British veterans who fought in 1982 Falklands Conflict are expected to join a nostalgic pilgrimage back to the Islands to mark the twentieth anniversary in 2002.

The South Atlantic Medal Association, known as SAMA ?82 , are now confident they can go ahead with this ambitious project for which they have launched a fund-raising campaign with a target of £350-thousand pounds (more than 500-thousand dollars). Hiring a British Airways jumbo jet is estimated to cost £340-thousand pounds.

SAMA Secretary Denzil Connick, a paratrooper who was severely wounded and lost a leg in the conflict, told Mercopress: "We have made significant progress in funding the project". They have been promised generous financial help by the famous comedian, Jim Davidson, a dedicated fund-raiser and entertainer for the armed forces.

The pilgrimage is planned for November, later in the year than the conflict, to take advantage of better summer weather. There will be a crowded programme including visits to battle sites, wreath-laying on land and at sea, and remembrance services in Stanley Cathedral and elsewhere in tribute to the men who lost their lives. For many of the three hundred veterans, it will be their first time back in the Islands. They are looking forward to a reunion with Islanders who will have an opportunity to express face-to-face the gratitude they have always shown to men of the Task Force who liberated them. Hospitable Islanders are expected to invite the veterans to stay with them in their homes, as they did after the conflict.

First Ever Falklands Wheelchair Yomp

SAMA members and their supporters are demonstrating the same courage and dogged determination as in 1982 in their fund-raising efforts. The latest example is the first-ever wheelchair yomp over the same difficult, daunting terrain as trudged by the paratroops and Royal Marine Commandos from San Carlos to Stanley in the winter of 1982.

This time it is by a former Merseyside policeman, Swasie Turner, who has arrived in the Falkland Islands to complete his wheelchair marathon to raise money for the 2002 pilgrimage. Though he is not a 1982 veteran, he has become an enthusiastic supporter and honorary member of SAMA for his fund-rai