The Colonel’s Appeal Fund

The aim of the Appeal is to give enduring support to Light Dragoons wounded on operations or in regimental service, to their families, and to the families of those killed on duty.

The Light Dragoons Colonel’s Appeal Fund is centrally controlled and held within the Light Dragoons Charitable Fund.

Brigadier Angus Watson MBE
Colonel of the Regiment

In January 2014 The Light Dragoons Colonel’s Appeal Fund reached, and indeed exceeded, the original target of £1,000,000 (of donated money). This was a Herculean achievement for a comparatively small Regiment. We did not achieve this success through the services or even advice of professional fundraisers. Rather we have achieved this success because we are a family, team orientated Regiment.

The momentum behind the Colonel’s Appeal was driven by a strong gang of retired Light Dragoons who have worked tirelessly to co-ordinate and encourage the effort; by a service Regiment in Swanton Morley at the time, though who are now in Catterick, North Yorkshire, who supported the Appeal in spades; by a regimental alumni they led endless initiatives to raise money successfully and got behind the initiative further; with a network of loyal friends throughout the UK, with most notably derived through The Light Dragoons strong geographical ties to South Yorkshire and the North East. Simply to say “thank you” underplays the extent of gratitude we feel towards everyone who have played their part.
Going forward we plan, for the time being, to keep the Colonel’s Appeal ‘open’. We shall neither encourage nor discourage individuals and groups from supporting the Appeal. And indeed, with a number of events being looked at for 2025 and others being thought about I know, it does seem right to keep the Appeal alive for now.

On behalf of the Regiment, Trustees and all those who have already benefited from the generosity of many and of those who will benefit in the future, I thank all those who have supported the Colonel’s Appeal. Your collective achievement truly underscores the absolute importance to the Army of its Regimental system.