FRIENDS OF The Tenth have hailed the “incredible generosity” of fund-raisers who have helped them to take a significant step towards their £75,000 target for a commemorative sculpture to honour the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.

The appeal fund doubled to almost £15,000 within the space of a few days, largely due to a donation of £5,110 raised by the Pegasus Appreciation Group from an auction which was held among their members on Social Media during November.

In addition to that major boost, Friends of the Tenth also received further money from one of their major supporters, 10 Para, and £1,800 recently donated by Everards from proceeds of sales of a special guest beer, Myrtle, in September.

“Suddenly, that £75,000 target doesn’t seem quite as far away now, and that is due to the incredible generosity of people who have pledged their support to our cause,” commented Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth group.

“We can’t thank them enough, especially as we know so many of them are by no means finished yet with what they hope to raise for the appeal.”

“We are barely three months into our mission to raise this substantial amount, so we are delighted with the progress which has been made so far.

He added: “With people like Rich Greasley and Lee Crichton from Pegasus Appreciation Group and Terry Lowe from 10 Para on board, not to mention many others too who have given so much support, I know that we will achieve our aim.”

The Pegasus Appreciation Group chose Friends of the Tenth as their Charity of the Month for November when they held an online auction among the 2,400 members on their closed Facebook group which proved as popular as ever.

“The success of this latest Charity of the Month event means we have now raised over £70,000 from our auctions in 2017, which in itself will be encouraging to Friends of the Tenth as they aim to reach the £75,000 mark,” commented Greasley.

“It seemed quite appropriate for us to help this cause because many of our members have served in the 10th Battalion at some point or other over the years, and being local in Leicester, I was well aware of the launch of this particular appeal.”

He added: “We put together a selection of original, rare and limited-edition items for auction, and the support we got was absolutely tremendous.”

Friends of the Tenth have in turn shown their appreciation of the fund-raising undertaken by Terry Lowe which has led to the latest donation from 10 Para.

The group has already received proceeds from a 10 Para reunion weekend in October, while Lowe has added several donations from sales of items, including badges and t-shirts.

Now, they have presented a further £2,000 which had been held in the Croydon Parachute Regiment Association since it was raised by a Christmas function two years ago.

“Terry’s energy and enthusiasm for helping our cause is truly remarkable and we are indebted to both him and Colonel John Power for this latest donation,” said Wilson.

Pictured are (from left to right): Pat Fynn (Somerby Parish Council), Alec Wilson (Chairman of Friends of the Tenth), Rich Greasley (Pegasus Appreciation Group), Tim Hall-Wilson (Friends of the Tenth).

FRIENDS OF The Tenth have raised a glass to Everards after sales of a special guest beer led to them donating £1,800 to the fund-raising campaign.

Alec Wilson, the group’s Chairman, expressed his gratitude to the Leicester business for their support after receiving a cheque from Richard Everard at a special presentation made at The Forge Inn in Glenfield.

The theme of the limited-edition ale was Myrtle the Parachick, which proved to be extremely popular, not only in terms of sales of the beer itself, but also in helping to raise awareness of the campaign to raise £75,000.

In offering their support in the form of a partnership with Friends of the Tenth, Everards donated five pence from every pint of Myrtle sold in September, and the plan is for this to be repeated again in the same month of 2018.

Friends of the Tenth have now raised almost £8,000 in the first two months of the appeal after Everards made a donation on top of the proceeds from the sales as a ‘thank you’ for what has been a successful collaboration.

“This significant sum reflects the incredibly enthusiastic way Everards have pledged their support to the fund-raising,” said Wilson.

“The choice of Myrtle as the theme was certainly an inspired one and has created an incredible amount of interest.

“We would like to express our sincere thanks to Everards for their support and look forward to working with them for Myrtle’s return next year.”

Friends of the Tenth are raising money to erect a commemorative sculpture in Somerby to honour the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment who were based in the Leicestershire village and surrounding areas before being dropped into the Battle of Arnhem.

The story of Myrtle is an important part of that association and it was decided that this would make an ideal theme for the guest beer.

Myrtle is a red ale which has been brewed with pilot and flyer hops and has aromas of fruit, treacle toffee and caramel.

To read about the story of Myrtle, go to https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/myrtle-the-parachick/

Pictured Left to right: John Donovan, Richard Everard, Alec Wilson, Jack Gilbert, Taff Howells

ONE OF the most decorated British Army Officers of recent history has given his backing to our mission to create a memorial in honour of the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.

General Sir Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO DL has expressed his delight that the Friends of the Tenth group are endeavouring to raise £75,000 so that we can erect a stone memorial in Somerby.

As the highest-profile British Army officer since the Second World War, Sir Mike served as the Honorary Colonel of the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Volunteers) 1994-1999.

His endorsement of the campaign is a further boost to the fund-raising after Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton DCVO JP recently accepted the invitation to become the President of the Friends of the Tenth group.

“I was honoured and privileged to serve as the Honorary Colonel of the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Volunteers) from 1994 until its disbandment in 1999,” said Sir Mike.

“Every September in the Parachute Regiment, we commemorate the memory of those who fought bravely in Holland on Operation Market Garden in 1944, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice and never made it home. We pay tribute to these fine soldiers.”

He added: “I am delighted to know that their memory is being kept alive by the Friends of the Tenth and commend the Friends for ensuring the 10th Battalion’s rightful place in history, with the creation of this splendid memorial in Somerby, the village from where 582 men set out to join the action at the Battle of Arnhem, yet only 36 returned.”

Sir Mike transferred to the Parachute Regiment in 1970 after three years in the Army, rising to command its First Battalion between 1984 and 1986.

He was also commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia and later took charge of the Kosovo Force to bring an end to ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslav republic.

Alec Wilson, our Chairman, welcomed Sir Mike’s support of the fund-raising campaign to create the lasting memorial.

“We feel truly honoured that the most distinguished army officer of recent times has given his endorsement to the campaign,” he said.

“It highlights once again the incredible level of backing we have received in the initial stages of our fund-raising, which fills us with confidence that we can achieve our aim of creating this legacy and memorial to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice at Arnhem.”

PRIMARY schoolchildren in Somerby were given a fascinating insight into the story behind the Friends of the Tenth Appeal as part of their latest project.

Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth group, was accompanied by ex-paratrooper Jack Gilbert on a visit to the village school recently.

It gave them the opportunity to tell the story of the 10th Battalion’s association with Somerby and the surrounding villages during the Second World War ahead of them setting off on Operation Market Garden and their drop into the Battle of Arnhem.

Sarah Moulds, from Somerby Primary School, said: “The children so enjoyed learning all about the Battalion and Somerby’s part to play.

“I think we all ended up feeling proud of our little village and this helps the children to be able to relate to something which seems so far away from their lives. I’m sure the work they produce will be great and bursting with information.”

While the main aim of the Friends of the Tenth Appeal is to raise money for a lasting memorial in honour of the Battalion, another important objective is educating young people about this important passage in history 73 years ago.

“Since the Second World War, we have gathered each year to commemorate this amazing, but incredibly sad story. By doing this, we want to ensure this is remembered by these children and many more generations to come,” said Wilson.