Return of Heroes Return

Second World War veterans across the country can sign up for a new multi-million pound commemorative funding scheme that will provide Lottery support for anniversary trips to the places where they saw action.

The Big Lottery Fund has announced the opening of its funding initiative, Heroes Return 2, pledging funding for veterans, spouses, widows and carers wishing to mark overseas anniversaries throughout 2009 and 2010.

The Fund has opened up a Heroes Return 2 hotline for all veterans to ring for further information: Heroes Return 2 Helpline 0845 00 00 121.

The Big Lottery Fund has already supported veterans through the Awards for All small grants programme with funding over £178,000 to support anniversary trips this year.

Launched to mark the historic 60th anniversary of D-DAY in 2004, BIG's former Heroes Return scheme awarded £16.6 million to over 39 thousand veterans, spouses, widows and carers to fund commemorative visits to Second World War battlefields, cemeteries and other significant places across the world.

Heroes Return was the centre-piece of the Veterans Reunited programme including Home Front Recall which awarded £19.2 million to support UK-based group events and activities to commemorate those who contributed to the war-effort on the home front, and Their Past Your Future with an ongoing £9.6 million scheme funding a UK-wide schools and education programme to give young people the opportunity to learn first-hand from veterans about their experience of war.

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk