SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has held a special event hosted by the organisation’s county patron the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire Sir Algernon Heber-Percy at his ancestral home.
The evening reception took place in the tea rooms at Hodnet Hall, Market Drayton, to thank the busy team of volunteers, which keeps the Shropshire branch running, for its hard work.
The event marked a formal passing over of the Presidency of SSAFA Shropshire from Major General Robert Ward, who was unable to attend the event, to Major General John Crackett as well as marking the 90th birthday of The Queen, who is the patron of the charity nationally.
SSAFA’s Shropshire branch chairman – retired Brigadier Andrew Meek- said it was an honour that Sir Algernon, patron of SSAFA Shropshire, hosted the event on June 8 for the volunteers.
He said: “He thanked our volunteers for all their hard work and stressed just how important their role is in the Shropshire community.”
Brig. Meek, of Wollerton, Market Drayton, said that without its network of volunteers across the county that support serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families, the charity would not be able to carry out its important work.
He said: “We wanted to hold this special event to thank all our volunteers for the hard work they do. They go above and beyond to give their time to support the people who need it in our community.
“There is clearly an increase in need locally and we are always looking for new volunteers to help our team.”
Lucy Denton, who volunteers for the charity and lives in Shawbury, said: “The event was an incredible experience and it was fantastic to see the gardens at Hodnet Hall and meet Sir Algernon. It is a privilege to work for a charity such as SSAFA and I find the work truly rewarding.”
The charity always welcomes new volunteers to help in its work. It needs help with stalls at the Shrewsbury Food Festival on June 25 and 26, the Shrewsbury Flower Show on August 13 and will be fundraising at Sainsbury’s in Meole Brace on September 3.
If you are interested in joining your local SSAFA team, to give something back to the Armed Forces in Shropshire, email shropshire@ssafa.co.uk or contact 01743 344220. For more information visit www.ssafa.org.uk
Major General John Crackett, President of the Shropshire Branch of SSAFA, Brigadier Andrew Meek, Chairman of the Branch, Mrs Barbara Street of Telford, who was presented with a national SSAFA award for 15 years as a caseworker for the charity, and the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire Sir Algernon Heber-Percy
