The Hydro Active Women's Challenge is a series of women-only 5k running events around the country. Held on Sunday 4th September 2005 in London, Liverpool and Birmingham, they are organised by the team responsible for the world famous London Marathon and designed for runners of all abilities and aspirations.

More than 22,000 ran in Hyde Park, London and 5,000 in Birmingham city centre in 2004 and in 2005 the organisers expect 5,000 at their first event in Liverpool. Most of those running helped to raise thousands of pounds for charities nationwide.

The Yellow Ribbon Foundation is proud to announce that they will be running this year at Hyde Park, raising money for the Foundation and our chosen charity for 2005/2006, Combat Stress. The money raised from this event will be divided equally between the two organisations. This will serve two purposes:

1. It will enable the YRF to self-generate funds by participating in more events, promoting our work and having merchandise available to buy.

2. This in turn will mean even more money for our chosen charity at the end of the financial year, when all our profits are donated in memory of those Serving Personnel who lost their lives whilst on active duties during that period. .

We are aiming to raise £1000 - the biggest target yet for our organisation.

Help us raise money for the Yellow Ribbon Foundation and Combat Stress by Donating.

Nell McAndrew shows her support for the Yellow Ribbon Foundation by wearing a yellow ribbon at Hyde Park in 2003, where £300 was raised for SSAFA-FH Stepping Stone Homes.

See our Press Release below:

PRESS RELEASE: April 2005

In February 2005, after almost 2 years of ever-growing support, The Yellow Ribbon Foundation took the next step in its continued growth, and became a registered Private Limited Company. The original founder of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, Victoria Evans, and her RAF husband are the Directors of this not-for-profit company.

100% of our profit is donated annually to the Armed Forces charity chosen for that year, and for 2004/2005 we have been able to present the three Armed Forces Benevolent Funds/Trusts with cheques for £120 each.

We are pleased to start the next year of fundraising and awareness by announcing our next chosen charity - Combat Stress. As with all our donations, we present the money raised in memory of those who have lost their lives on active service during the past year. They will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

The new fundraising year has started on a high note, through the Managing Director’s volunteer work at the RAF Kinloss Thrift Shop. All volunteers who have done 40 hours or more in the year may nominate a beneficiary organisation. As such, £100 towards promotions has been raised.

Forthcoming events for 2005 include:

RAF Lossiemouth Friends and Families Day – Saturday 21st May 2005

Hydro Active Women’s Challenge, London – Sunday 4th September 2005

The Yellow Ribbon Foundation will be actively involved in these events – both by enhancing our profile and raising money for our organisation and its chosen charity.

Sponsorship for the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge will be equally divided between The Yellow Ribbon Foundation and our chosen charity, enabling us to promote ourselves across a wider audience and ultimately increase our profits. Our primary goal will always be to provide a support and information service, but if we can continue year on year to increase our financial status too, then that’s a bonus!

As in the very beginning, we are there for anyone and everyone who has some form of connection with the British Armed Forces - be they parents of serving persons, Serving personnel themselves either single or married, Reservists, Ex-Serving persons and those who have a friend in the Armed Forces. We have no boundaries to our support, we are not governed or financed by the Ministry of Defence, and we do not care what your connection is. If you need support, we will provide it in an informal and impartial manner.

Our policy is simple - no question is too big or too small, and if we can't answer it we know a man who can!

Latest Update

Yes We Finished!

A team of Armed Forces partners took to Hyde Park for the Hydro Active Women's Challenge on Sunday 4th September. "The Force Behind the Forces", made up of wives and girlfriends representing all three Services, were raising money for The Yellow Ribbon Foundation - a non-profit company providing informal support to anyone with a British Armed Forces connection.

Managing Director and RAF wife Vicki Evans headed the team of ladies who first met over the internet in February 2003. Having become close friends very quickly in 2003, it was the first time everyone had met face to face and proved to be an emotional event. "It is incredible to think that we have known each other for so long but only ever spoken over the internet or on the telephone. Having become friends at a highly stressful time for the Armed Forces, with Op Fresco at its height and Op Telic about to start, we have been through every emotion you can imagine already. But meeting face to face was the most wonderful experience, and we have become even closer because of it."

The team wore combats, boots and t-shirts proudly proclaiming their team name and nicknames as well as the company logo. Kerry and Vicki also decided to wear bra's adorned with yellow ribbons to help get the message across! This tactic seemed to go down well with the Household Cavalry, who's barracks overlook the start line.

The team were joined in London by their very own support crew, wearing coordinating t-shirts emblazoned with their own group name "Troops Supporting the Troop Support". Troop Support comprised of David Evans, husband of Vicki, Sam and Kev John-Allen and the Team Photographer, John Scivier, husband of Kerry.

So far the team has raised £500 in sponsorship, half of which will be donated to the Foundation's chosen charity for 2005/06 Combat Stress and in memory of those who have lost their lives whilst on active service during this time.

Photograph "After the Race" courtesy of John Scivier/ArchArt &Copy The Yellow Ribbon Foundation team from left to right : Kerry, Cathy, Sharon, Tanya, heather, Vicki

Donations can be made to The Yellow Ribbon Foundation through the website at www.yellowribbon.org.uk

The Yellow Ribbon Foundation

Registered Company No. 5372850