GB News viewers showered with praise after boosting nuclear test veterans' reunion appeal to over £50,000

Andrew and Bev praised viewers for their generosity, as a GoFundMe appeal smashed through its £25,000 goal and passed £50,000.

The cash will be used to enable over 100 test veterans and their families to enjoy a free week-long reunion at Pontins at Sand Bay in Weston-Super-Mare next year.

Reacting to the latest total of the fundraiser, Andrew kicked off their program with a special thank you message to those who donated.

Andrew exclaimed: "We want to start the show this morning with a very big thank you to you, our viewers and listeners.

"On Thursday, we asked if you'd help us to raise £25,000, so that nuclear veterans that took part in nuclear testing for the military in the 50s and 60s could have their annual reunion.

"Not only did you smash that, you actually raised over £50,000, which not only can fund necessary, but almost enough for 2026 too."

Echoing Andrew's remarks, Bev added: "It's wonderful news. We are genuinely so grateful and we know that they are too. They're absolutely blown away by it.

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"The damage from these experiments, which were done on these soldiers, and some of them were civilians, who were taken out to Easter Island, and once they were there found out what they would be subjected to."

Successive governments have refused to acknowledge health effects suffered by some of the thousands of military personnel who were sent to witness tests in the Pacific.

Alan Owen, the organiser of the appeal and founder of Labrats International, told GB News on Thursday that some of the men were forced to watch detonations from as close as 10 miles away. Many have suffered from a series of health problems, some of which have been passed down generations, but successive governments have refused to acknowledge that any injuries were caused by the tests.

Owen told how it was only last year that the veterans received a medal in recognition of their service during the test, but they were awarded without ceremony and posted out in jiffy bags. Families who have tried to access medical records from the time have found that they have gone missing.

Veteran Brian Unthank was asked on GB News during his interview with the channel how many skin cancer procedures he has had. He revealed: "Ninety-three so far. I was supposed to go back in October but that’s been put back for another six months.

"I lost my teeth at the age of 20. I'm now 86 years old. We have been going down to Sand Bay, meeting with Alan and lots of the other veterans and the descendants and widows and other people. It makes you feel part of a big family group, you're always made to feel welcome.

"Alan, Laura, his sister and Mel, his wife, they're so welcoming. And all the volunteers who help make you feel, as I said, part of a major family, which we are."

The programme also heard from MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, who said: "They've been fighting for many years for access to their medical records, for example, urine and blood tests that they know were taken during their service.

"But when many of these families have tried to access their records, these test results seem to be missing and there's no explanation as to why this has happened. Those records are necessary, not just for an argument about compensation, but for accessing things such as war pensions, where they have to demonstrate that they've undergone a significant degree of risk during their service."

She added: "Beyond this, I think there needs to be a formal understanding and education within our national curriculum of the importance of these weapons tests, how they played their part in ensuring our safety and security, but also the negative impact of that on those men and their families."

To learn more and donate to the appeal, please visit the GoFundMe fundraising page.