IN 2013, I founded a charity called Give Us Time. It was designed to provide good quality holidays for the families of our Armed Forces, especially those who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I am delighted that this year we will be celebrating not only our 10th anniversary but the fact that, for the first time, we have sent over 1,000 people on holiday in a single year. 

The idea of the charity was a simple one. We asked people who had a second home, holiday home or timeshare to give us the weeks they were not using so that we could give them free of charge to service families who needed them.

The response was terrific, supported by a number of travel companies and individuals who gave us unused places. One hotel chain, Wyndhams, gives us a week in a European ski resort where we have had wonderful experiences such as seeing members of our most elite regiments teaching children of Gurkha soldiers to ski! 

The genesis of this idea was twofold. As a GP working with the army, I saw up close the strains that service families could come under with frequent changes of homes and disruptive changes in schools for children. As Defence Secretary, I saw how deployment abroad could exacerbate this.

When (usually) daddy was away for six months, family dynamics could change markedly and did not easily or quickly settle down on their return. Equally, for a young child, six months can be a very long time for a parent to be absent and re-adapting can be stressful and difficult.

Having a quality holiday break in a neutral environment often allowed these difficulties to settle down with normal family life restored. 

On October 30, at the Corinthia hotel in London, we will celebrate what we have been lucky enough to be a part of alongside service personnel and their families, politicians, and a host of celebrities.

What is even more fantastic is that we have been able to do it all at very little cost; we have only one full-time member of staff, aided by dedicated volunteers. 

Places like North Somerset often have people who are able and willing to help but are unaware that we exist, something I heard loud and clear at a recent event in Nailsea when I described the charity.

If anyone reading this article is able to help provide accommodation or simply wants to help financially, you can find out how by contacting enquiries@giveustime.org.uk.

For more information about the forthcoming event, please see the following: https://twitter.com/giveustime/status/1684482235364257793?s=20

Those who put their lives on the line for our collective security deserve all the help we can give them and helping their families is one of the best ways to do that. 

Dr Liam Fox.