Mayor: '˜We must show our respects during Remembrance'

The Mayor of Kirklees, Councillor Jim Dodds, has appealed to local people and businesses to continue to support the poppy appeal this year.
Remembrance service - Cleckheaton's remembrance parade. Marching from the town hall to the memorial park. (d14111176)Remembrance service - Cleckheaton's remembrance parade. Marching from the town hall to the memorial park. (d14111176)
Remembrance service - Cleckheaton's remembrance parade. Marching from the town hall to the memorial park. (d14111176)

Councillor Dodds is a former military officer himself and chose the Royal British Legion as his Mayoral charity.

He said: “The link between our local communities and the sacrifices those in our armed forces make for us has been brought into sharp focus in recent years.

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“We marked 60 years since the end of the second world war last year, and 100 years since the Battle of the Somme this year.

“Present conflicts involving our local soldiers continue, and Kirklees has experienced more than most the sad losses of recent conflicts.

“I, and many others I know, have seen active service.

“While conflicts can seem like a world away, the impact is being felt at home.

“The families who suffer loss in those conflicts rely on support they get from the appeal fund.”

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Welfare services linked to the Poppy Appeal spend more than £1million a week, with services ranging from helping bereaved families through an inquest, to ensuring an elderly veteran can stay independent in their own home.

Councillor Dodds has produced a calendar which commemorates local soldiers who have lost their lives in recent conflicts, which he aims to sell in aid of the charity.

He added: “The demand for services continues to increase and the need for public donations to buy a poppy or offer time gets more urgent every year.

“It is not just about the names carved onto the war memorials.

“Remembrance is about the great dignity shown by the veterans and serving members who proudly parade.”