Care or welfare packages are much appreciated by members of our Armed Forces serving on overseas operations. They represent the support & goodwill of people other than their own families & let them know that we are thinking about them.

There are however some very important points to note:-

• Parcels MUST be sent to named personnel
• They CANNOT be sent to 'A Soldier' or 'Any Soldier' - Parcels addressed in this way may be returned to sender
• Although SOS hold the details of Service Personnel these cannot be given out UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES other than to approved SOS representatives

If you would like to send a parcel but do not have a named person to send to then we can offer you the following options:-

• Parcels or parcel fillers may be sent to our Head Office -

Support Our Soldiers

Operations House

2 Whitley Street

Bingley

BD16 4JH

*Please note inland postage will need to be paid

• Parcels or parcel fillers may be dropped off with one of our representatives. A full list of representatives and the areas they cover is shown on the Contact Us page

• A donation in lieu of a parcel may be made using the link on the Home page. Just £5 covers the cost of a standard package which we'll make up on your behalf.  If you want a message to be included in the parcel then this can be sent under separate cover to the address above.

A list of suggested items is provided in the pdf below but this is not by any means definitive.  There are many other items which can be included but the key is to keep these small and light as parcels are size and weight restricted.  More information about this is shown below.  Travel or individual packs are ideal rather than family or bulk packs.

We also recommend that you include a variety of items, these are far nicer to receive than for example a box containing just toiletries.

To print this list to A4 simply click on the print icon shown. To increase the size of the document click on the + symbol

Other Important Information

The Maximum Weight for parcels is 2kg.

We recommend that you restrict your parcel to 1.8kg to ensure that it falls well within the restriction when wrapped. 

Size is also restricted -
Max: Length + Depth + Width = 900mm, with greatest single dimension not more than 600mm

Min: One surface at least 90mm x 140mm.

We recommend that you use a robust shoe box for packaging - ladies or gents shoe size 6 to 7 boxes are ideal

Prohibited Items

Aerosols, Alcohol, Glass Items, Perishable Goods, Lighters and 'Top Shelf' magazines and books are amongst the items which are strictly prohibited. For a full list of all prohibited items please refer to the BFPO website

Unsuitable Items

Home made food items are not accepted, nor are items which are unsealed or partly used.  All items should be new, unused and unopened. Sell by dates should be checked and should have at least six weeks remaining to allow for possible delays in delivery. 

Please Note - All parcels received are thoroughly checked before sending out and any unsuitable or prohibited items removed.  Parcels are also weighed and if over the 2kg weight limit then items will be taken out as necessary.

So those are the rules and regulations.  As long as you follow the guidelines then putting together a parcel is a simple and enjoyable task and you can be certain that it will be very gratefully received.

Just a couple of further points -

Please do include a card or letter with a Message of Support.  These are as important as the contents themselves.  By all means include your contact details in these if you wish to do so.  Whilst we can't promise a response, in most cases the recipients do write to express their thanks.

If you are sending to our Head Office address and would like SOS to acknowledge receipt then please include an SAE.  Alternatively include your email address so that we can respond this way.

And finally if you do have any additional questions please do Contact Us

Many thanks for your support!