The Gurkha Welfare Trust was established in England in 1969. Its remit is to provide financial, medical and community aid to alleviate hardship and distress among Gurkha ex-servcemen of the British Crown and their dependants after they have returned to their homeland of Nepal.

Nepal is a landlocked country in the Himalayas. Its only natural resource is its scenery, its significant export is its fighting men. The men we call the Gurkhas.

For nearly 200 years the Gurkhas have helped to fight Britain's wars and keep the peace. They have won 13 Victoria Crosses and served in most of Britain's conflicts during that period.

If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War 2 alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks. But silence will not help the living, the wounded and disabled, those without military pensions following World War 2 service or redundancy, or those left destitute by ill health or natural disasters. With their dependants, they number many thousands. They live in often harsh conditions, with no national health service, no public housing and no unemployment benefit.