LEWIS HAMILTON SURPRISES SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN ON BOARD HMS MIDDLETON

British F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton was given a guided tour of HMS MIDDLETON at its current base in Bahrain on Monday [17 April 2017].

Hamilton, who came second in the Grand Prix on Sunday [16 April 2017], took time out on Monday to pose for photos, sign autographs and learn more about Royal Navy operations in the region, shortly before the minehunter set sail.

Thanks to generous support from the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Dragon Advisory Limited and CSM Sport & Entertainment, Tickets For Troops secured 40 tickets each day for members of the Royal Navy, and their Army and Royal Air Force colleagues all serving with the United Kingdom Maritime Component Command, to attend the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Tickets For Troops trustee, Stuart Higgins, organised the visit of the former F1 Champion to the ship which ensured our service personnel who have spent months away from their families and friends could enjoy the Easter weekend in style.

Royal Navy Commander Nicholas Stone, from Bahrain said: “This experience has made such a difference to our personnel over the last week, both with the Grand Prix and then capped off last night [17 April] by Lewis’s visit. Please accept my most sincere thanks for your support of those of us deployed out here.”

Veronica Bamford, Director of Operations at Tickets For Troops said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for our troops who work tirelessly around the globe to enjoy a bit of down time.

We are extremely grateful to all our supporters who have made it possible for the troops to not only watch world class motor sport but also meet British F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton and hope this goes someway to making their time away from home and their loved ones a little easier.”

Many troops who benefit from Tickets For Troops (www.ticketsfortroops.org.uk) endure long periods of separation from their families due to operational tours and training exercises or living apart from their loved ones.

Tickets For Troops was set up in 2009 to provide free tickets to the Armed Forces for sports, music, theatre, cultural and entertainment events across the UK.

The charity has distributed over 980,000 free tickets in the last seven years and is proud to offer tickets to troops which they can share with their loved ones, as a small acknowledgement and reward for the work they do for our country.

Organisations who would like to get involved with the charity and donate free tickets to benefit our servicemen and women can get in contact with Tickets For Troops by emailing events@ticketsfortroops.org.uk or calling 0207 932 0808