MILITARY family members in Bolton whose relatives have been emotionally or physically affected while serving in a military role are being sought for a major new nationwide project chronicling the impact of war on families.

Thanks to support from National Lottery players, Veterans’ charity The Legasee Educational Trust is joining forces with Help For Heroes support group Band of Sisters and the Armed Forces Covenant to launch the educational project, which is entitled The Military Family: A Life of Service.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Military Family: A Life of Service is recording the personal accounts of partners and family members of former serving personnel to explore how carrying out military duties can not only affect veterans, but also impact on those closest to them. The final interviews will sit on the Legasee Educational Trust’s extensive video archive and provide a valuable educational resource for those wishing to research the impact of war on families and the role they play in the recovery process. High quality copies of the films will be held by the Royal Armoury Museum in Leeds, while an exhibition interpreting the history will will tour venues and end in a permanent exhibition at Catterick Library.

One hundred years after shell-shocked and injured men returned from the battlefields of the First World War, and 80 years after the beginning of WWII, many families are still fighting for their injured loves ones and Legasee’s experienced team would like to hear from those who have been caring for former service men and women.

“We are very used to hearing the first hand testimonies of service personnel and veterans and rightly so,” said Martin Bisiker, Trustee, The Legasee Educational Trust. “What we’re not so used to hearing about are the personal stories of their partners and families and the huge role they play in the support and recovery effort. We’ve already heard some fantastic accounts and would be very interested to hear from others - particularly people over the age of 70. It’s really important that their voices are heard and their contribution acknowledged.”

If you have, or know anyone who has, interesting stories please contact info@legasee.org.uk. For information visit www.legasee.org.uk