Over 500 men and women from the Army, RAF and Royal Navy took part in this year's 'Turkey Trot' at an army base in Basra. 
The now traditional Christmas Day fun run raises money for charity and this year the guys were running to raise funds for the Help for Heroes campaign.
The now traditional Christmas Day fun run raises money for charity and this year the guys were running to raise funds for the Help for Heroes campaign.What would be interesting to know is how much the MoD charged for using the Contingency Operating Base in Basra to stage this year's run since the MoD always takes a hefty cut from the proceeds of charity events taking place on its land.
Over the last 18 months a sixth of all cash raised at charity events on MoD premises has been creamed off by the MoD by way of fees and rents; this tithe has amounted to tens of thousands of pounds. The MoD does not differentiate between charity and commercial events. In one of the worst examples, the Army Benevolent Fund was landed with a £7,000 bill for using Sandhurst for a gala.
A petition has now been set up to urge the Prime Minister to waiver MOD charges for charities engaged in assisting serving and former members of the armed forces and their families.
Link> 10 Downing Street e-Petition: Service charitiesLink> Defence News: Troops get running for a special charity Christmas
Link> The Sun: Our Boys ripped off by the MoD
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