Dear Sir or Madam

I am determined to succeed in an important project that I am coordinating and I ask for your assistance in helping me to get it underway.

Introduction
I will attempt to quickly give you some background information. My name is Roy Dixon and I had a company involved in agricultural contracting, this led into land reclamation and then progressed into golf course construction throughout Europe. For this I converted an articulated trailer into a 12 man mobile accommodation unit and I had additional trailers following behind carrying the machinery. I then designed and built a new type of cultivation and stone clearing machine; this worked very successfully.

I then realised that there was more to life than picking stones and building golf courses and my wife and I then embarked on overseas voluntary work. After undertaking a training programme, we became involved in humanitarian projects. One of my main interests lies in grasping technology and implementing it into projects to help those in need. I became involved with landmine removal and since working in developing nations and seeing many new systems that do not operate effectively, I became involved in research and development for mechanising and updating landmine removal systems and improving both safety and efficiency.

Defining the problem
One of the main problems I have found is that, in general, most mines are laid in developing nations and most developing nations are in warm climates. After the local farmers have moved off because of the mines, mother nature then takes over and within a couple of years these often vast, mostly vital agricultural areas become heavily overgrown with dense vegetation. This has caused a perpetual catch 22 situation for the de-mining operations, as most mine detection systems can not be used close to the ground because of the bush/vegetation. Also, we could not go in and clear the bush because of the mines, then were unable to remove the mines because we could not detect where they are. Seeing at first hand some of the horrific injuries and economic difficulties caused by the landmine problem, I was inspired to take up this engineering challenge and developed a whole new concept in mine removal.

Overcoming the present difficulties
When I came back to the UK, naturally I was excited and wanted to do my bit to help rid the world of landmines. I self funded the development and built a basic machine to prove this new theory, it worked beyond expectations with many spin off benefits. Now that the basic mechanical theory has been proven, it is now just a matter of utilising other technologies such as detection, software and GPS plotting. By implementing a series of good ideas with recently developed technology into the new MDM (Modular De-Mining) system, I believe that a workable and sustainable breakthrough can be formulated. It has only become possible over the last year to develop this machine through the use of recent advances in engineering, hydraulics, satellite communications and computer networking technologies. I soon realised that to undertake this work further I would need more than an innovative mind and a good heart. I now found myself in another catch 22 situation; funding. I could not raise any finance because of a lack of collateral. Unfortunately as a youngster I preferred to spend more time on the tractor than I did at school so I have been somewhat lacking in the expertise to write the necessary funding proposals.

Creating sustainability
World opinion is rapidly changing along with a growing awareness of the landmine problem. Certain government grants are now available to commercial companies that are not available to charities and commercial de-mining is becoming a fast growing industry. Up until now, many humanitarian projects have been uneconomical and failed those whom it was meant to help. I believe in long term sustainability, helping people to help
themselves. One of my personal objectives behind this project is to develop a method/system whereby commercial gain can be had out of undertaking humanitarian projects, tempting more contractors/companies to undertake and speed up this type of much needed development work thus dramatically reducing unnecessary suffering. Through grasping technology, what had been impossible yesterday is now possible today and can become reality tomorrow, it just takes ordinary people like us to make it happen.

Business opportunity
Since the advent of so many governmental de-mining projects including border minefield removal and initiatives such as the Ottawa Convention, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of new companies and organisations becoming involved in both commercial and humanitarian de-mining. Up until recently about $300 million dollars per year was being spent on mine removal but 142 governments have now signed up to the Ottawa Agreement thus agreeing to finance the removal of the remaining mines in the next ten years. This will almost certainly cost many billions. It is through this dramatically increasing and lucrative business opportunity that we hope you will invest in De-Mining Systems UK Ltd, allowing us to commercially exploit this opening in an effort to sustain our humanitarian works.

After repaying our investors from this commercial activity, it is our intention to provide subsidised machinery back into the De-Mining Systems charity making it possible to undertake more humanitarian de-mining. We also believe in staying behind to help rebuild the communities after the mines have been removed. This is where Mercy Trucks will be involved. In the past when I travelled around Europe building golf courses, it was more cost effective not to carry a vast amount of separate machinery; one tractor would act as a host vehicle to an array of hitch-on machinery. Because the MDM system is designed on that same modular principle, the de-mining machines can be unhitched thus allowing the host tractor to be used for a multitude of other tasks enabling organisations including Mercy Trucks to undertake the agricultural and community development work after the mines have been cleared. Attachments fitted to the tractor may include a back-hoe for drainage/irrigation and construction, a cement mixer and we are developing a double-acting forklift that also becomes part of the new Quick-Drill system enabling the provision of clean water in the communities.

Other non de-mining markets
Because the MDM machine has the ability to simultaneously plough, de-stone, cultivate, seed, fertilise and roll all in one pass, it is an attractive proposition to those involved with commercial agriculture and also as a humanitarian tool for putting in crops after wars, floods droughts etc as part of a famine prevention programme.

Making it happen
There are various types of help that are needed, such as by providing services and expertise, sponsorship or philanthropic giving to the charities or through investment opportunities in the commercial company. I have structured these in such a way so that when assistance is given to any one of the three charities/companies, there is a beneficial knock-on effect that also helps the other two, you will see this better in the attached inter-supporting sustainability generator. If you require more information, please give me a call.

This may seem a great idea on paper but without your help, sadly that is exactly where it will remain, because what we do now is the only influence we have over the future. Once in motion, the potential of this is enormous. Please help me to go ahead with this project.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Roy Dixon