Landmine Charity To Receive £8.1m Government Funding Boost

The Halo Trust is leading the way in clearing mines from former war zones and has just received a major boost to their mission of making the world landmine free by 2025.

International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, has pledged an £8.1 million funding extension to mine clearance work and praised the lifesaving work of the charity. 

The funding will help to make 15 million square metres of land safe again and enable 15,000 community visits to educate people - especially children - on the dangers of living with landmines.

James Cowan, the CEO, of the Halo Trust, said:

"All of us who have served in the army in the last 15 years know about this because they have a personal effect on us and our comrades...  We're helping innocent people from being killed or wounded, civilians from being hurt in the future."

The Halo Trust works across the world in fifteen countries de-mining and educating people about the risks.

The British Military is currently involved in mine clearing duties in Eastern Africa as well as teaching counter IED skills to the Iraqi forces.

Ms Patel announced the additional funding during a visit to Halo's headquarters just outside Dumfries, saying:

"It's British aid but also the British flag. Our British forces working together to rebuild countries, like Afgahnistan, so that they can stand on their own two feet again"

Penman Engineering who design, develop and manufacture armoured vehicles for the Ministry of Defence and to support mine clearing operations, will also benefit from this latest funding.

In March, the Government committed £100m for landmine clearance, which was welcomed by Prince Harry, who urged the world to help keep the promise his mother made to landmine victims weeks before she died.