EC&O Venues Earls Court And Olympia

Earls Court is delighted to have been chosen to host the brand new British Military Tournament.

The British Military Tournament will be presented by ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and will bring together all the best elements of the world famous Royal Tournament, incorporating them into a new show for the 21st century. The Tournament will take place on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 December with two performances on each day. All proceeds from the event will go to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Narrated live by Anthony Andrews, with pre-recorded contributions from Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench, The British Military Tournament will re-enact key events from the history of the British Army - from the English Civil War to the present day conflict in Afghanistan - within the epic arena of Earls Court. The event is written and directed by Christopher Joll and produced by IMG.

“We are delighted to be the host of this very entertaining and engaging event.  Many of our visitors have enduring memories of the Royal Tournament and we’re really excited to be bringing such an event back to our halls,” said Anna Golden, Commercial Director, EC&O Venues.

The show will feature 500 troops, more than 145 horses, the world famous Field Gun Run over the walls and chasms of an obstacle course, massed bands, Chelsea Pensioners and Gurkha veterans. The British Military Tournament 2010 will celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the formation of the Household Cavalry and the 150th Anniversaries of the Army Physical Training Corps and the Cadet movement.

We are also delighted to announce that HRH The Prince of Wales has kindly consented to being the Royal Patron of The British Military Tournament.

The British Military Tournament is supported by Boeing, with associate sponsorship from JCB and Aegis.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity began as the Army Benevolent Fund in 1944. The demobilisation of soldiers after the two World Wars had put an enormous strain on Regimental and Corps charitable funds and highlighted the need for a national charity to give practical help to our soldiers and veterans.

The charity currently raises £7 million per year and helps over 4,000 injured servicemen and women and their families. In recent years they have seen a 30% year on year increase in soldiers, former soldiers and their dependents seeking help.

Hundreds of soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with many more injured both mentally and physically. The human costs of these conflicts are still to be realised. Psychological injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can take up to 13 years to manifest themselves. By 2015 ABF The Soldiers’ Charity estimate they will need to raise £14 million a year to continue its vital work.

Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter said “This will be a fantastic show for the public to enjoy and by attending they will also be providing invaluable support for the work we do helping injured servicemen and women and their families.” Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter is Chief Executive of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Additional info:

Tickets:
Earls Court Box Office:     0870 903 9033
See Tickets    :         0871 620 7051
Ticketmaster:         0844 248 5026

For further information about ABF The Soldiers Charity go to www.soldierscharity.org


For further press information regarding the event please contact Ewan Thomson PR on 020 8743 6837 or 07917 167790 or email ewan@ewanthomsonpr.com

For further press information about the venue please contact Claire Kenton on 020 7370 8838 or email claire.kenton@eco.co.uk