Forces Store Delivers The Goods to Troops on Tour

Online gift company helps families send a little bit of home to heroic frontline forces

September 24, 2009 - Press Dispensary - For British troops on active service in Afghanistan, a package of familiar food, a personalised present or just a box of basic home comforts is a great morale boost and a reminder that people back on the home front are thinking of them. The Forces Store (http://www.theforcesstore.co.uk ) is the only gift website run solely for British service personnel and their families, providing tracked delivery of food parcels, gifts and games to any UK or British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address.

For parents and partners of the thousands of British troops deployed overseas, sending a special gift is a way of dealing with the separation and of showing support – but it isn’t always easy to know what to send, especially for families of new recruits. The Forces Store helps its customers sidestep potential problems with prohibited items and weight limits, enabling them to send a care parcel or present at the simple touch of a button.

Founder and Army wife Jules Prentice says: “The Forces Store is more than just a gift service. We make it easy to send gifts to deployed personnel, and customers can order with confidence knowing that we will track their purchase until it’s delivered. And, perhaps most importantly, we know what it’s like to have a loved one in action overseas so really take care over our orders, packing each parcel as if it was our own."

Owned, run and supplied by forces families, the company understands what a brilliant boost a parcel can be for the men and women on the front line - and what gifts will make life more bearable. Popular products include a range of 2kg care packages, such as the ‘Pub Box’ – full of goodies you’d expect to find behind the bar at your local (though no beer, sadly). Other frequently ordered products include ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ t-shirts, bags and hoodies, as well as posting records and tour countdown “chuff charts” to mark the days until a loved one comes home.

Mrs Kay Morgan, a mother to two sons who have served in Afghanistan in the last year, says: “The first time I used the site, I sent my son a homemade cake and he said it was the best thing he had ever tasted. I know he gave everyone a piece and I think it lasted all of half an hour.

“As it turned out, shortly afterwards he was involved in the patrol where two of his mates were killed. He was the team medic and travelling in the vehicle behind the one that caught the blast. He was so very lucky. Thank God he was ok.

“It may sound silly to some, but I did think to myself, if the worst had happened that day at least I would have known he got my parcel and had some pleasure beforehand.”

A selection of forces charity items, including calendars, wristbands and stickers, are also available online, raising much needed funds for a number of British Armed Forces charities. Prices start from just £1.

And for soldiers on tour with limited access to the internet, the site offers a range of gifts that they can send back home, from flowers for girlfriends to games for their children. Partners can also choose from a selection of saucy personalised novels - recently featured on the BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’ - to keep the romance going, and the heart racing, during long periods of separation.

Where possible the company sources products from within the forces community, offering a shop window to other partners of service personnel who are trying to run small businesses whilst moving home on a regular basis.

Jules adds: “My husband is about to start his third tour in three years so I know first-hand how difficult it is waiting for your loved one to come home, watching the news, and praying that they are safe. That’s why I love running The Forces Store so much. I know we are helping other families in some small way.”

She concludes: “The best part of my job is the feedback we get from so many mums, dads and partners saying that our service has made a difference.”

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Notes for editors
The Forces Store was established in 2006 by army wife Jules Prentice, whilst living in Herford in Germany. Her husband is with the 1st Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, and her father and grandfather were both in the RAF.

The company provides a range of gifts for delivery to UK and BFPO addresses, and offers the only service of its kind to the British armed forces and their families.

As they supply directly into the military postal system, orders for The Forces Store are unaffected by any postal strike action.

For further information, please contact:
Jules Prentice, owner, The Forces Store

Tel: 01252 343008 / 07714 726888

Email:
Site: www.theforcesstore.co.uk