A TRAILBLAZING organisation which has raised thousands of pounds for military personnel and their families is to close.

The Yellow Ribbon Foundation, launched in 2003, is to wind down its operations this year due to “a lack of interest and funds” over the past 12 months.

And in a final blow, organisers had to call in police when people who promised to help the charity by holding fundraising events failed to hand over any money.

The charity’s founder, Victoria Evans, spoke of her “immense pride” at the £10,000 raised in eight years.

The Carterton-based organisation was one of the first dedicated to helping military personnel and their families, paving the way for organisations like Help for Heroes.

Volunteers prepared more than 1,000 gift boxes for British troops around the world and their families at home, and urged people to decorate their towns with yellow ribbons to remind people of those serving in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mother-of-three Mrs Evans, from Latimer Road, Carterton, said: “I’m both sad to be stopping, but also very proud.

“Sadly, we have been let down by people over the past few years and we have run out of money.

“We would be asked to prepare boxes for troops, which we would do, but would never receive an address to send them to, so we were left with all the goods.

“We also had to call police in because there were a couple of occasions when we donated prizes for fundraising raffles in aid of our charity, but then we would never hear from the people who had just pocketed the money.

“All this has been a real shame and has given us no choice but to stop.”

Mrs Evans’s husband has worked as an aircraft engineer in the RAF for 23 years and served in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is due to retire from RAF Brize Norton later this year, and the family hope to emigrate to New Zealand.

Mrs Evans, 43, said: “When we did send out the boxes we got the most amazing reactions and lovely letters would always arrive thanking us.

“Once we sent £300 of Christmas decorations to the RAF base in Oman so our airmen could enjoy a British Christmas.”

Lee Mackie, from Bampton, whose Royal Marine son Jason Mackie was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2009, said: “Charities like this are extremely important to servicemen and women and their families.

“I’m very distressed to hear that some people have taken advantage of the foundation’s good work.”

Oxfordshire Royal British Legion official Jim Lewendon, 81, added: “These people have done so much good work for members of the armed forces.

“I think it’s disgusting that people would treat a charity in this way.”

Remaining Yellow Ribbon Foundation merchandise is on sale at yellowribbon.org.uk