Cadets’ awards for supporting Dewsbury poppy appeal

Army, sea and air cadets supported the poppy appeal by selling flowers in Dewsbury Town Centre in November.

Last Tuesday, Royal British Legion held a presentation evening at The Principle to thank them for their hard work.

Legion member Karen Rourke said: “The cadets are really, really important and we can’t thank them enough for the help they give us. Without them we would be snookered.”

Last year, the Dewsbury branch of the Royal British Legion raised more than £12,000 for the poppy appeal.

At the presentation evening, awards were given to the cadets who raised the largest money on Remembrance Day and who sold the most poppies.

A special award, the David Bland Memorial Award, was given to a group of cadets who showed particular determination when raising money.

It was presented by Mr Bland’s daughter, Lisa Wilkinson, to sea cadets Ashleigh Black, Shannon Edwards and Samuel Speight.

The Legion still have two further trophies to present to members of the army cadets who were unable to attend the event last week.

Ms Rourke said: “It’s always cold in November and the cadets are collecting outside, but they enjoy socialising with each other.

“We do rely on them every year because our branch membership is falling.”