As the nation prepares to salute the sacrifice and heroism of a special generation this Remembrance Sunday, the Big Lottery Fund is calling on Second World War veterans to get in touch and secure their funding for   commemorative trips back to the places they saw action.

Since launching in April, the Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme has already enabled more than 7,500 veterans, widows, spouses and carers to go on emotional trips, home and abroad, to honour and remember those that did not return from the battlefields of 1939-1945. A total of over £4.95 million has been given to date and the scheme is open until January 2011.

Grants up to £5,500 are available to pay travel and accommodation costs for the journeys. Many veterans have used grants to commemorate the 65^th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June and to attend September’s memorial events in Holland marking the anniversaries of Operation Market Garden, where almost 1,500 British airborne troops lost their lives. Other veterans have returned to places including Italy, Greece, Malta, India, the Far East, and North Africa.

The Heroes Return 2 helpline 0845 00 00 121 has been set up to provide further information on the programme and details of how to apply. Information is also available on www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

Peter Wanless, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said: “A huge debt of gratitude and recognition is owed to the men and women who valiantly fought in the Second World War. I am delighted we are able to offer Lottery funding for them to return and pay their respects at the places they served and to attend memorial events within the UK.

“The funding is open to veterans who fought with or alongside British forces in the Second World War and are resident in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, as well as their widows and widowers. Anyone wanting to find out more about the programme and how to apply can call the Heroes Return helpline on 0845 00 00 121.”

Launched to mark the historic 60^th anniversary of D-Day in 2004, BIG’s first Heroes Return scheme awarded £16.6 million to over 39,000 veterans, spouses, widows and carers to fund commemorative visits to Second World War battlefields, cemeteries and other significant places across the world.

Heroes Return was the centre-piece of the Veterans Reunited programme including Home Front Recall which awarded £19.2 million to support UK-based group events and activities to commemorate those who contributed to the war-effort on the home front, and Their Past Your Future with an ongoing £9.6 million scheme funding a UK-wide schools and education programme to give young people the opportunity to learn first-hand from veterans about their experience of war.

The Big Lottery Fund has also supported veterans through its Awards for All small grants programme funding over £178,000 to support anniversary trips this year.