June 2015 – For the third year running, Timothy Taylor’s brewery of Keighley has produced a special brew of Havercake, a 4.7% ABV robust Yorkshire amber ale. 10p from every pint or bottle sold is donated to ABF, The Soldier’s Charity and the sum from recent sales totalled a whopping £11,233. This brings the total raised over the 3 years to over £25,000.
Major Barney Barnbrook, Regional Director of The Soldier’s Charity, North East and Yorkshire, recently visited the brewery along with Andy Garthwaite, and his wife Kailey, to collect the cheque from Tim Dewey, Chief Executive of Timothy Taylor’s. They also enjoyed a brewery tour and lunch at the Lord Rodney, a Timothy Taylor managed pub.
Andy is a very inspirational young man. He left his home in South Shields and joined the Queen’s Royal Lancers at the age of 16. After serving in Iraq, in 2010 he deployed to Afghanistan on OPERATION HERRICK 12. Whilst on his second last patrol of the tour, he was searching a compound when his unit came under sustained and heavy fire. As section commander, Andy raced to join the rest of his troop on the roof of the compound but no sooner had he reached them then a rocket propelled grenade took off his right arm. A close friend was killed in the same incident.
Nearly five years on it has been a long road to recovery for Andy. He recently became one of only five people in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm powered by the brain.
The Soldiers’ Charity gave Andy two grants to assist with his rehabilitation. The first, from the Quick Reaction Fund, paid for an iPad. This was deemed an essential piece of equipment for Andy; he was desperate to remain independent following his medical discharge from the Army and top of his list was finding a new job, but due to the nerve damage in his remaining hand he found it extremely difficult to hold a pen. Due to its lightness, an iPad allows Andy to type with just one hand. The second grant was from the Current Operations Fund which paid for adaptations to his bathroom. Prior to this Andy had fallen out of his shower a number of times so adaptations were urgently needed before a more serious accident occurred. The Soldier’s Charity funding helped provide a wet room thus ensuring Andy could safely carry out his daily routines.
Andy married his partner Kailey and they now have a beautiful baby girl, Georgia. Thanks to the bionic arm he is now able to ride his motorcycle, drive a car again – and pay a full part in bringing up Georgia. Having left the Army, Andy says that ‘having The Soldiers’ Charity behind me, it’s not only given me more independence, it gives me reassurance, just knowing that people are out there, to give support if needed. I think it’s really important that people know about the work of the Charity because they are a cushion for our soldiers and veterans who may not have any stability and need help. The charity relieves so much stress; they are simply there to help those in need. The iPad, the wet room were both just a phone call away’.
Tim Dewey of Timothy Taylor’s states ‘we were delighted to meet Andy and learn from him how the funds we raise benefit soldiers whose lives have been altered irrevocably in the line of duty’.
