Support for the KM Media Group’s Homes For Heroes campaign is growing, with more individuals and groups chipping in to help raise £100,000 towards the expansion of the Royal British Legion Industries Centenary Village for ex-servicemen and women at Aylesford.

This week we were all set an example by a gallant and determined 12-year-old named Joshua Partridge

Joshua travelled down from his home in Nottingham to camp out at the RBLI Memorial Garden at Aylesford in a sponsored sleep-out to show empathy for those veterans who end up on the streets.

Joshua has been a persistent fundraiser for RBLI since he was 10. He has already camped out – mostly in his back garden – for 230 nights, and raised almost £11,000 for the cause.

Joshua, who was accompanied by his mum and dad, Anna-Marie and Nick, was given a tour of the RBLI village and met the charity’s chief executive Lisa Farmer.

Ms Farmer described Joshua as “our super star” and presented him with a Tommy silhouette figure made by veterans in the village’s sign factory.

Year 8 pupil Joshua is an Air Cadet with ambitions to become an RAF pilot.

Also contributing to the fund-raising were the Malling District Lions Club. Formed in 1970, the Malling Lions have been supporting good causes for 53 years.

They raise their money by tin-shakes outside supermarkets and activities such race nights in village halls, and raffling Easter eggs and chocolate Santas in local pubs.

They have donated £1,000 to RBLI. The Lions have a major new event this year – the Wrotham Classic Transport Rally on June 25, and if attendance is good there, they hope to be in a position to make another donation to RBLI.

The Lions have taken over running the show from the Friends of Wrotham.

President Richard Broomfield said: “We currently have 15 members and are always on the lookout for more volunteers so that we can help even more people and causes.”

If you are interested in lending a hand, contact Mr Broomfield by email to mallinglionsclub@gmail.com

Another organisation with long ties to RBLI is the Cobtree Charity Trust.

The charity was established in 1951 by the former owner of Maidstone Zoo and multiple-times Mayor of Maidstone, Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake.

Maidstone businessman Richard Corben was formerly a trustee and chairman of Cobtree, but was also a trustee for RBLI for 25 years and its chairman between 2012 and 2015.

Mr Corben, who died in 2016, is remembered with a road named after him in the village.

The Cobtree Trust has generously donated £39,000 to RBLI, and three of their trustees – Mike Startup, Sandra Knatchbull and Kevin Moule – visited Sapper House, a block of “move-on “ apartments for ex-servicemen and women over-coming homelessness, where a plaque has been installed to mark the connection between the two organisations.

It is not the first time that Cobtree has supported RBLI.

They have also awarded funding for the charity’s STEP-IN programme and have sponsored the annual cycle ride to the Menin Gate.

Perhaps your club or organisation can help? Email details of your activity to our reporter Alan Smith on ajsmith@thekmgroup.co.uk

You can also make a donation to our Homes For Heroes Campaign, by clicking here.

Alternatively, donate by text message – text 5RBLI to 70085 to donate £5; text 10RBLI to 70085 to donate £10, or text 20RBLI to 70085 to donate £20.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from the RBLI.

If you would like to donate but not be contacted further, please add NOINFO to your text message.