THE FRIENDS of the Tenth Appeal featured in a news bulletin on BBC East Midlands Today during the Somerby Annual Commemoration.

Political reporter Peter Saull attended the church service and parade on Sunday morning to focus on the fund-raising mission to create a stone memorial in honour of the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment in the Leicestershire village.

He interviewed Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth group, and John Jeffries, the 95-year-old Arnhem veteran who took the salute at the parade prior to heading out to Holland to recreate his 1944 parachute drop.

The news item was broadcast at 6.50pm on Sunday evening and repeated again later that night.

If you missed the opportunity to see it then, you view it by going to https://vimeo.com/233462365

ALEC WILSON has become a regular guest on BBC Radio Leicester over the past couple of weeks . . . and his latest appearance was to tell the story of ‘Myrtle’ following Everards’ launch of a specially-brewed guest beer for the month of September.

The Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth group explained how Myrtle the Parachick became one of the fascinating tales to emerge from the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment’s association with Somerby and how it is now being remembered as the theme behind the red ale which has recently gone on sale to raise money for the memorial appeal.

Once again, Radio Leicester reporter Bridget Blair was asking the questions as Alec outlined the tale of the additional recruit to the Battalion, who was parachuted into the Battle of Arnhem 73 years ago in a bag carried by Lieutenant Pat Glover.

It was broadcast on the breakfast programme presented by Jo Hayward and Jim Davis, but you can listen to the feature by going to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05f9sv6

Remember, that Everards have confirmed that 44 pubs have now taken delivery of ‘Myrtle’ and so it should be on sale in those establishments very soon.

For more information about those pubs, go to https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/everards-pubs-take-delivery-special-myrtle-ale/

THE FRIENDS of the Tenth Appeal was in the media spotlight when BBC Radio Leicester broadcast a special feature on the mission to create a memorial in Somerby.

Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends group, and stone sculptor Graeme Mitcheson were interviewed by BBC correspondent Bridget Blair about the fund-raising campaign.

This was featured on the Ben Jackson programme this week and will be repeated on Sunday 3rd September between 1.00pm and 2.00pm in the Talking History programme.

You can listen to what Alec and Graeme had to say by going to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05dpptz

Bridget visited them at Graeme’s Chisel-It business in Coleorton where she had the opportunity to find out more about what is planned for the memorial.

EVERARDS have pledged their support for the Friends of the Tenth’s fund-raising by giving ‘wings’ to the mission to create a special memorial.

The award-winning and family-run business are backing our bid to raise £75,000 by brewing a special guest beer called ‘Myrtle’ to commemorate her association with the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment when they were stationed in Somerby.

In September this year and again twelve months later, five pence will be donated by Everards from sales of each pint of a red ale which has been named after Myrtle the Parachick, a hen adopted by the Battalion who earned her ‘Para Wings’ at the Battle of Arnhem.

The special ‘Myrtle’ ale will be available to Everards’ 178 pubs throughout Leicestershire and the surrounding areas during those two months.

Everards’ Head of Marketing Erika Hardy said the Leicestershire-based company were proud to be giving their support to such a worthy local cause.

“As a local brewery, this fits perfectly within our programme of brewing guest beers for a month which celebrate or support our community,” she commented.

“When we heard about the Friends of the Tenth campaign, we saw this as an excellent opportunity to get involved and to help boost the fund-raising by donating five pence from the sale of each pint of Myrtle during September this year and again in 2018.”

She added: “An important part of our creation of a guest beer is ensuring that it bears some relation to the event or story behind it, which is the case with Myrtle.

“This is a red ale brewed with pilot and flyer hops with an aroma of stoned fruit, treacle toffee and caramel with lemon, spicy, marmalade on the descent.”

Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth, said: “This is a fantastic start for the campaign to get one of our major local companies on board.

“Raising such a substantial amount of money will be quite a challenge, so to have this level of support from Everards is a big step towards our target.”

“The story of Myrtle is one of many fascinating tales which emanated from the Battalion’s association with Somerby and the surrounding villages.”

He added: “The fact that this will take place in September is of great significance because that is when we have an annual commemoration service and parade in memory of those who took part in the drop behind enemy lines in September 1944.”

*Picture caption: Cheers Myrtle – former paras John Gibbard, Jack Gilbert and Alan Staff sample the special brew while Tim Hall-Wilson, fund raiser and former Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, pulls the first pints of Myrtle at the Cradock Arms.

*You can read the full story of Myrtle the Parachick by going to www.friends.co.uk/myrtle