News

On Valentine’s Day, the members of the audience at the Royal Opera House in London will have one thing in common – no, not a love for Puccini or huge, recently acquired bonuses. They will all be members of the British military, enjoying a cheap night out in a very expensive city.

The evening will include segments of La Bohème, followed by the Royal Ballet performing Tales of Beatrix Potter. Normally, tickets to such an evening would cost hundreds of pounds, but they’ve been offered free to servicemen and women thanks to a program called Tickets for Troops.

“This is a pretty novel idea,” says Tickets for Troops’ Raleigh Addington. “We’ve had a great response. It’s not about supporting the war or being against the war, but it’s just about showing our gratitude to the troops in some small way.”

The fun extends beyond ballet and opera: Most of Britain’s top football and rugby clubs, as well as racetracks and some concert venues, have donated tickets to the program, which was launched before Christmas with the support of Conservative Leader David Cameron and singer Joss Stone. Soldiers can apply for a certain number of tickets every year, and are asked to make a donation of one pound in return, which is then distributed to charities for military families.

At the moment, the program is only open to serving members of the military and those who have been medically discharged since the war in Afghanistan began in 2001. Special provisions are made for the disabled: On Feb. 14, for example, there will be extra wheelchair room at the Royal Opera House.

Some 50,000 tickets to sports events and concerts have been given out in the program’s first two months. In Canada, there’s a program at some hockey clubs for season ticket-holders to donate their seats to members of the forces, but it’s on a much smaller scale. Addington said he’d like to see Tickets for Troops expand internationally: “We’d happily help Canada set something up.”

Joanna Lumley, familiar to TV audiences as the drink-soaked Patsy in the series Absolutely Fabulous, in real life spends her time fighting for the rights of soldiers. She’s a patron of Tickets for Troops and recently waged a successful campaign for Gurkhas who fought with the British army. She’ll be the host on Feb. 14, standing on the stage at the Royal Opera House: “I am absolutely thrilled to host this special event at such an iconic venue,” she said. “It is a fantastic opportunity for those who put their lives on the line for us.”