Students Raise Over £440 For Safeguarding Veterans’ Standards Campaign

A coffee morning at a local high school has raised over £440 to help safeguard ceremonial standards in Wrexham.

Members of veterans’ associations from across Wrexham County Borough joined staff and pupils at Rhosnesni High School for a coffee morning in aid of a crowdfunding campaign to preserve veterans’ standards.

Year 10 and Year 11 Pupils on Rhosnesni High School’s Public Services Programme through North Wales Training at Kinmel Camp joined the veterans in the school’s library, and had the chance to learn about the role they each played in the Second World War and Korean War.

More than £445.26 was raised for the campaign during the morning, which will go towards safeguarding the ceremonial standards of four veterans associations.

The four veterans associations represented by the standards are the Burma Star Veterans Association, the Normandy Veterans Association, the Eighth Army Veterans Association, and the Korea Veterans Association.

The crowdfunding campaign launched back in February and aims to raise £12,060. Along with online donations there have been a series of bag packing and collection events over the past few months to help raise the funds.

Cllr David Griffiths, Armed Forces Champion for Wrexham Council, said: “I was incredibly pleased to see young people at Rhosnesni High School take the time to speak to the veterans in attendance, and the interest they showed in what they had to say was admirable.

“Our debt to those men who fought in the Second World War and the Korean War cannot be repaid, but it’s excellent to see the respect paid to them by such enthusiastic young people.”

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “The efforts put in to help our fundraising campaign by Rhosnesni High School are very welcome. We are determined to reach our target by the end of the crowdfunding campaign, and events such as these help us get ever closer to achieving that goal.”

The event was followed by an awards ceremony in the afternoon for Year 11 pupils who had successfully completed their Public Services Programme.

Nic Harrison, headteacher at Rhosnesni, said: “This was a very rewarding event, and I imagine it was especially interesting for the pupils, who had the chance to hear the wartime stories of the visiting veterans first-hand.

“All those pupils who attended the coffee morning represented the school incredibly well, and they should be praised for having done so.

“I am very pleased the school has created this opportunity because our young people hold the key to keeping our veterans’ legacy alive in Wrexham.”

You can donate to Wrexham Council’s crowdfunding campaign here.