Support for Troops in Afghanistan Reaches new High

LONDON, December 9 - Eight out of ten people believe it's important to support UK troops
abroad, with almost a quarter of us (24%) knowing someone serving in
Afghanistan.

Research published today by video messaging experts Winkball.com says
showing friends and loved ones abroad that you're thinking of them is crucial
at this time of year.

In total 13,000 members of the armed forces will be away from home this
Christmas.*

It's not just troops who are away over the festive season, more than half
of us (58%) have had one or more of our family away at Christmas over the
last decade with children being affected the most followed by spouses and
partners.

Winkball.com has recently launched their 'Faces for the Forces' Campaign
to collect a million video messages of support for the troops serving in
Afghanistan.

More than 100,000 people including celebrities, sports personalities,
politicians and members of the public have already recorded a goodwill
message.

www.winkball.com/walls/faces/Celebrities_Goodwill_Messages/

WinkBall founder, Dr James Ohene-Djan said, "We encourage as many people
as possible to get online come to the site and record their goodwill messages
to show our continued support and respect for the important job our brave and
selfless young men and women do, no matter how far away they are.
WinkBall.com is giving the UK a video voice which is changing the way we view
news and share our opinions and feelings."

He added: "8 out of 10 people in the UK say they feel it's important to
support UK troops abroad and we urge them to add their own messages of
support to the thousands of messages already recorded."

About WinkBall.com:

WinkBall.com is a free, web-based, personal video
communication service, which allows anyone to record, send and share videos
with friends and family - privately. Users can also create and post content
to video blogs and video walls for group viewing. Video messages delivered by
WinkBall can be accessed anywhere, anytime through a web browser.

WinkBall is also used by brands and organisations to share
video content, which users can actively choose to watch and share. All
messages sent through WinkBall are supported by targeted five-second
advertisements, which are played at the end of video messages.

WinkBall is safe, simple and fun and makes video the best way
to communicate online.

Established in London in 2005 by Dr James Ohene-Djan and
Duncan Barclay, the WinkBall Project team has evolved to become a leading
player in driving the future development of online communication.

Other Research Findings:

    - 77% of people in the UK think we should be supporting the UK troops
      abroad

    - 59% of people in the UK think that being away from a loved one at
      Christmas affects the whole family

    - 58% of people in the UK have been separated from a family member over
      Christmas more than once over the last decade

    - 34% of people in the UK know someone who is serving in the forces

    - 24% of people in the UK know someone who is serving in Afghanistan

    - Research commissioned by PollLab November 2009 Total sample: 1174 UK
      adults.

* Source MoD

For more information: www.winkball.com or
www.winkballproject.com

For more information: contact Catherine or Claire at Shout! Communications - +44(0)20-7240-7373