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Tickets

For ticket details, please see the ‘Tickets’ tab above, or just click on the link below. On arrival, you will be given a colour-coded pin badge – this will be your passport to the curry, beer, and much more!

An Early Bird 10% discount offer (£49.50 per person) is available using the appropriate ticket option (also available via invoiced payments). Early Bird tickets have limited availability, so be sure to book quickly! Full-price tickets are £55.00 per person.

The curry will be served from 12:30 although you are welcome to arrive from 12:00 and enjoy the networking opportunities and hospitality on offer for the whole of the event.

If you encounter any difficulties with the booking process, please get in touch with either Barney Barnbrook or Amy Simeon.

The standard method of payment is Credit/Debit card. If you would prefer to pay by invoice, please use the ‘Pay by Invoice’ option, and we will send an invoice reflecting the company/organisation details given. Payment can then be made via BACS or cheque.

At checkout, if paying online, you will be asked if you would like to cover the platform fees (credit card charges etc). This is entirely optional but would help considerably in our efforts to raise as much as possible. This does not apply to tickets purchased via invoice.

Group and Corporate Bookings

Those who book for ten (or more) will be eligible for a 15% discount and a dedicated space in the reception area for client hosting.

On Arrival

On arrival, you will be given a colour-coded pin badge – this will be your passport to the curry, beer, and much more! Please also bring a printed/mobile copy of your confirmation email.

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Why?

This will be the third year that the Charity has hosted a large-scale ‘northern’ Big Curry. Aiming to have the same ‘look and feel’ as the flagship annual Lord Mayor’s Big Curry in London, we hope that it will become a hardy annual event in the Yorkshire calendar – a culinary expression of levelling up. After all, Yorkshire has become the curry heartland of the Country and, for many years, curry has been a staple food of the British Army – synergy indeed!

Purpose

The Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch has four key purposes:

*To raise funds to support Soldiers and former Soldiers, both Regulars and Reservists, and their families.

*To raise awareness in Yorkshire of the role of the British Army, particularly among a younger generation of Yorkshire Folk.

*To build awareness of the Army’s national charity that works ceaselessly to support all members of the British Army Family.

*To emphasise breadth and depth of Yorkshire’s philanthropy in support of those in society who need help in a variety of ways.

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Event Sponsorship

This event would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. Opportunities are available for both financial sponsorship and support-in-kind. The Army Benevolent Fund would like to create a mutually beneficial partnership, one that builds brand awareness for all parties and gives your organisation a platform to showcase your products, services and work.

We welcome discussions about a partnership tailored to your marketing objectives. We recognise that supporting an event financially may not suit all, and we would welcome support-in-kind to help us offset some of the key expenses involved in hosting a fundraising event such as this. Such support will help us maximise the amount that we are able to raise to support the charitable cause. The reciprocal benefit would be negotiable.

Benefits to Your Organisation

Supporting the British Army: A chance to demonstrate your company’s commitment to supporting our soldiers, veterans and their families in times of need.

Team Building: Unique team building experience for employees to galvanise the workforce.

Hospitality: The opportunity to host clients at an amazing event in a truly unique venue.

Promoting Brand Awareness: Be a part of an extensive event-related marketing and promotional campaign.

Showcasing Products and Services: Opportunities to showcase products and services, including event-wide sampling and promotion.

Bespoke Package Benefits: We can also create bespoke packages tailored to your individual needs; simply get in touch to discuss your requirements!

Sponsorship Packages

We have several sponsorship levels available, ranging from the flagship ‘Partner’ sponsor, to event ‘Supporter’. We can also tailor the packages to specific costs, such as catering and drinks, combined with appropriate brand recognition.

Contact

We would love to partner with further organisations. For more information and to discuss available options, please get in touch with Lieutenant Colonel Barney Barnbrook, Regional Director, the Army Benevolent Fund.

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Auction Prizes

Our auction prize list will be curated over the coming weeks and months, and will be available for bids online prior to the event, and during the event itself. Terms and conditions apply, and prizes may be subject to change.

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Who We Are

The Army Benevolent Fund is the National Charity of the British Army, supporting soldiers and veterans from every conflict, and their immediate families. We were established as the Army Benevolent Fund in 1944, to ensure that the hardships endured by soldiers in the aftermath of 1914-18 were never repeated.

Most soldiers leave the Army with a promising future and excellent life skills, but there are some who need extra support as a result of their service. For more than 70 years we have been helping people from the Army family, defining our work through the Army’s own values of courage, loyalty and selflessness. We are constantly changing and adapting to meet the current needs of today’s Army: each year we provide assistance to some 5,000 individuals in need, and give grants to up to 100 other charities and partner organisations, which deliver specialist support on our collective behalf – touching the lives of around 80,000 people per annum.

Our Purpose

The Army Benevolent Fund works hard to ensure that all soldiers and veterans of the British Army, and their immediate families, are afforded the independence and dignity they deserve. We make grants to individuals and to a wide range of specialist charities that sustain the British Army ‘family’, both at home and around the world.

What We Do

We often help with the everyday things, which may not be exciting, but are life-changing to our beneficiaries. Support with care home fees, training courses or home adaptations are just some of the things that can ensure every soldier and veteran of the British Army is afforded the independence and dignity they deserve.

Those individuals who need us usually come to us through their Regiments or Corps, and we can often provide vital help within 48 hours. On some occasions, we can provide a grant within minutes; we understand that if you’re facing a night without shelter or your next meal, you need help right away.

The scope of our work is enormous; last year our eldest beneficiary was a 108-year-old World War II widow who needed assistance in paying her care home fees. The youngest was a two-year-old child of a serving soldier who needed funding for a specialist piece of medical equipment.

How We Help

We support the whole Army Family, either through grants to individual beneficiaries in need, or by supporting charities or organisations that provide specialist help, such as Combat Stress, who provide expert support for mental health issues in the veteran community. The ‘Wheel of Welfare’ below shows how we work with other organisations for the greater good of the Army Family.

The Military Welfare Ecosystem

The way that we do this is extremely unique in the military third sector, as seen from the infographic below.

A Yorkshire Imperative

The Yorkshire Region remains one of the strongest recruiting areas for the British Army; it is also the home of the largest military garrison in Northern Europe. Consequently, a disproportionate amount of the Charity’s support is focused here, particularly as many soldiers return home on completion of their service, and many of those who come from elsewhere but have served in Yorkshire, remain in Yorkshire after retirement (and who wouldn’t?).

Governance

Due diligence is undertaken at every stage in our grant making process, and our strong governance infrastructure means that we are uniquely placed at the centre of the military welfare network to ensure that our help is distributed fairly.

We fund SSAFA (the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) caseworkers to establish that every applicant’s need is genuine, and to ensure that all possible sources of statutory funding have been exhausted before we make a grant.

More Information

For more information on the Charity’s work, please visit our website.

Volunteering

We rely on volunteers to make events like the Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch successful. It you are able to give up a few hours on the day to help us, we’d be extremely grateful – please email either Barney or Amy to discuss available options.

Whether it is guiding guests throughout the afternoon, assisting with the auction, or helping the waiting-on staff, there’s plenty to do.

All volunteers will get free curry and beer to boot!

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Our North East and Yorkshire Ambassadors

We will be joined by four of our fantastic Ambassadors at the Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch; all have very different stories to tell, but they are all joined by one common denominator – how they have been supported through difficult times by the Army’s national charity. Further stories about how we help can be read on our website.

Lee Harris-Hamer

Lee was 24 when a back injury ended his Army career. With a little help from our charity, he now runs a successful commercial cleaning business that operates across North Yorkshire and the North West.

Lee Harris-Hamer joined the Royal Artillery in 2008, aged 17. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and again in 2012, serving a total of eight years and rising to the rank of Lance Bombardier.

Then, aged 24, a back injury ended his Army career. For a fit young soldier, the news was devastating. Lee struggled with feelings of worthlessness and developed anxiety and depression. Eventually, he entered the Personal Recovery Unit in Catterick and was assigned a Personal Recovery Officer who helped to transform his outlook. With a wife and young child at home, Lee decided to use the skills he’d developed in the Army to start his own carpet-cleaning business.

Lee named his business White Horse Cleaning Services after the Kilburn White Horse carved onto the hillside near Thirsk, North Yorkshire. the Army Benevolent Fund supported Lee with his new venture, helping him fund training courses in Leicester and to purchase specialist cleaning equipment.

In 2016, Lee started his carpet cleaning business in Thirsk. Several years on, Lee’s business is thriving. His business plan has changed and White Horse Cleaning Services now offers a full suite of cleaning services for commercial buildings and factories across North Yorkshire. In 2022, Lee now employs 46 staff and the business continues to expand. Lee sees his employees as part of the family, with the same brother and sisterhood he remembers from his Army days.

Lee’s commitment to the Armed Forces remains a driving force behind White Horse Cleaning Services. In 2021, Lee’s company gained Silver accreditation in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme; a great achievement. The company aligns it’s values with the Armed Forces. Lee is aiming to become the number one specialist commercial cleaning contractor in Yorkshire region and beyond. His is a story of triumph over adversity.

In 2022, Lee was nominated for the Soldiering On Awards and has won the ‘Business of the Year – Scale Up’ award, which honours an individual or group of individuals linked with the Armed Forces Community who have started a successful new venture more than two years ago and who still retain a minimum of 50% interest in the venture.

Our charity is very proud of Lee’s achievements and send our warmest congratulations on the growth of his business.

Les Binns

Les was in caught in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, ending his 13 year career in The Light Dragoons. A keen mountaineer, he was awarded a Silver Medal by the Royal Humane Society in 2016 for rescuing another climber just 500m from the Mount Everest summit. On Friday 13 May 2022, Les ‘cried tears of joy’ after making Everest summit at third attempt. Next year, Les has his sights firmly set on conquering arguably the hardest peak in the world – K2.

Les Binns joined the Army in 1997 and served operational tours in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. On his second tour of Afghanistan in 2009, he was awarded The Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for looking after casualties. Then, whilst on a patrol, he was in the vicinity of an IED explosion and peppered with shrapnel in the face, arms and legs. Les underwent several operations and is now blind in his left eye.

Les has suffered from PTSD since his medical discharge in 2010. He found the best medicine was to head into the mountains and seek solace away from his transition from military to civilian life.

In 2015, Les decided to attempt his childhood dream of conquering mount Everest, 8849m peak. In May 2016, just 12 hours and 500m from the summit, he selflessly turned back to save a climber who was sliding out of control towards almost certain death. He was able to get her to safety, and was subsequently awarded the Silver Medal by the Royal Humane Society for his life-saving actions.

Les tried again to summit Everest in 2017.  He rescued an American climber in bad weather and due to 80 mph winds was forced to give up on this attempt.  ‘When you get so close to the summit and there are things that happen outside of your control, you always think of what-ifs.  What if that never happened, I could have been stood on the summit.  That’s the thing that spurred me on for third attempt.  It started as a personal achievement, but now I want to inspire my daughter’.

At his third attempt, Les reached his goal of scaling Mount Everest on Friday 13 May 1922 around 6 am.  He began his push to ascend the summit on Tuesday 10 May, having spent a month acclimatising himself on the mountain in order to adjust to the harsh climate safely.  He says ‘ it was the most challenging thing physically and mentally he had ever done.  Whilst it was a very draining experience, it also was a fairly smooth adventure and he’s thrilled he did it’.

Les said ‘I found climbing replaced what I lost when I left the Army.  My loss of sight doesn’t affect my climbing on Everest but climbing is an escape from my PTSD.  Climbing taught me that there’s got to be something else in life for me to achieve after leaving the Army and I think reaching the summit of Everest is the piece de resistance’.

After his discharge, we helped Les with a grant, enabling him to retrain in electrical engineering. Les works in designing interiors. He is now a proud ambassador for our charity.

Les says: “When I genuinely needed help with life after the Army, the Army Benevolent Fund stepped in and gave me the opportunity to learn a trade and earn a living.”

John Cutting

John is an award-winning artist and sculptor who developed PTSD following his service in Northern Ireland. His sculptures depicting his military service and mental health journey have been exhibited across the UK.

Born in Catterick, North Yorkshire, John joined the Royal Engineers at 18 years old, serving back-to-back tours of Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. He later served as a reservist in the infantry from 1982 – 1984.

John experienced difficulties for many years following his service in Northern Ireland. He was hyper-vigilant, anxious and found day-to-day life incredibly challenging. It was only recently that he received a diagnosis of PTSD.

Several years ago, John was introduced to our partner Finchale, a specialist charity that offers support to veterans in the North East. Finchale has helped John in his ongoing recovery from deep-seated, long-term trauma.

John began to find therapy in art and decided to apply for a degree in Fine Art, specialising in sculpture. With help from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Charities, our charity was able to step in and help John with a bursary towards his living costs during his studies.

Having this creative outlet has been life-changing for John, allowing him to forget about his worries and anxieties while he’s in the studio. John says: “It’s given me a new life which enables me to cope with the old one.”

In 2020, John and Amy Majed, a fellow student at York St John’s University, were awarded the prestigious Eleanor Worthington Prize for Art. Their sculpture, which uses casts and mouldings used in the rehabilitation of ex-service personnel, explored disability in the works of Renaissance artist, Raphael.

Andy Garthwaite

Andy, formerly of the Queen’s Royal Lancers, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2010. Following intensive rehabilitation, he became one of the first people in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm powered by the brain.

Corporal Andy Garthwaite served in the Queen’s Royal Lancers. He started his career in 2002 at the age of 16 and undertook his training at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate. After serving in Iraq at the age of 18, in 2010 he was deployed to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 12. On 5th September 2010, whilst on his penultimate patrol of the tour, he was searching a compound when his unit came under sustained and heavy fire.

Andy raced to join the rest of his troop on the roof of the compound but no sooner had he reached them when a rocket-propelled grenade tore off his right arm. A close friend was killed in the same incident. Andy recalls “lying on the floor in a lot of pain with my hand on fire. My arm was away from my shoulder just lying there. I was still wearing my glasses and could see my friend’s body beside us. And I thought ‘ouch that hurt, I think I’ve been hit’.” Andy is only alive today because his team radioed for a helicopter and within ten minutes were carrying him to safety across an open field, despite continuous enemy fire.

The day after being evacuated to Camp Bastion, he was in a stable position and was flown to a hospital in Birmingham for further treatment. It has been a long road to recovery for Andy. In 2012, he became one of only a few people in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm powered by the brain. He told us: “When I found out I was getting the arm I thought this is a bit too much in the future, this, to have a prosthetic arm that works off your thoughts, are these doctors on the same planet as me?! But I was over the moon because it’s the best thing in the field of prosthetics so it’s quite a privilege and an honour to get the surgery.”

The Army Benevolent Fund gave Andy grants to assist with rehabilitation; funding for bathroom adaptations, steering adaptations for his car and an iPad.  Andy was desperate to remain independent following his medical discharge from the Army in 2013 and top of his list was finding a new job. Andy is now married to Kailey, has two children and is in employment working for a property management company in Newcastle.

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Our Third Year

We first hosted the Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch in 2023, firmly establishing the event as a ‘must attend’ entry into the Yorkshire Calendar. Based heavily on the Charity’s flagship Lord Mayor’s Big Curry at the Guildhall, London, it was designed to bring the spice back to the north of England, providing a healthy balance between fundraising and engagement.

The Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch – In Words

“A fantastic event in an iconic York location, topped off with superb food, great networking opportunities, and raising awareness for an outstanding cause.”

Phil Walton Esq, Head of Engagement, RFCA Yorks & Humber

“The event is very well organised and provides a rare opportunity not only show your support but also to purchase ‘experiences’ which are not available from any other source.  Please take the time out from your busy day and book your tickets, you will not regret it.”

David Gough Esq, Director, Metroquote Ltd

2024 Yorkshire Big Curry Lunch – in Pictures