Coldstream Guards march through York on way to London (From York Press)

Coldstream Guards march through York on way to London

8:24pm Friday 15th January 2010 in

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COLDSTREAM Guardsmen marched through York – as a new support group is launched for the families of soldiers serving abroad.

One hundred Guardsmen have been following in the footsteps of their ancestors by undertaking a 400-mile march from their regiment’s birthplace of Coldstream, in the Scottish Borders, to London.

They marched yesterday from the minster to Burn near Selby, where they slept under canvas last night.

Captain Mark Hayhurst, one of the organisers, said they wanted to commemorate a march by General George Monck and a 6,000 strong army 350 years ago, and also raise awareness of the current good work of the regiment in Afghanistan.

The Forces Families support group, open to anyone with a loved one serving in the armed forces, is being launched in York by the charity Support Our Soldiers.

Organiser Rebecca Burns, of Bishopthorpe, said the charity already sent out care packages to soldiers overseas, with the people of York and the surrounding areas donated more than 500 parcels, but the new support group was being launched with the aim of running meetings on the first Tuesday of every month in the Fulford area.

“The meetings aim to provide emotional support for people struggling with the difficulties of having a loved one serving on an operational tour,” she said. “We already provide an invaluable online support network and I hope that this will prove to be just as successful.

“I myself understand the importance of such a group after becoming involved with the charity back in 2006, when my partner Ben Morrison was serving in Iraq with 1st Battallion, The Yorkshire Regiment. I found the online service to be a sanity, saver at time and would have without doubt made use of such a support group had it been available.”

• For more details, contact rebecca@supportoursoldiers.co.uk or phone 07756 892788.