On the first of July I was proud to lay a wreath to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at the Accrington Pals Memorial in Accrington.
The Accrington Pals are interweaved into the very fabric of our local history, famously forming as they did a Pals battalion to fight in the First World War, with many men from this area answering Kitchener’s call and joining up.
But on 1st July 1916, on that fateful first day of the Battle of the Somme, they suffered severe losses and over 600 casualties, leaving the community back home shattered and hardly anyone untouched, with so many losing husbands, sons, brothers, uncles, friends and neighbours.
Normally there would have been a full service at the Accrington Pals Memorial in 1st July, however this year, due to Covid 19, this obviously couldn’t take place, but the sentiment remained the same. Instead we simply laid wreaths to commemorate the Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and to remember in particular the 11th (Service Battalion) (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment, known as the Accrington Pals, to commemorate their bravery and sacrifice. We will remember them.
We are proud of our Armed Forces, both past and present and at the end of last month, Hyndburn proudly flew the Armed Forces Day Flag to salute them.
Armed Forces Day is our chance to show our support for the men and women who make up this community, from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets, we proudly flew the flag in Hyndburn to salute and pay tribute to them for their hard work, dedication and efforts to and keep us safe in the UK and across the globe.
And finally, local businesses need our support! Please #ThinkHyndburn & shop locally as much as possible. Over the last few weeks we’ve seen the reopening of many shops on Hyndburn’s High Streets and, along with other Councillors and officers from the Council, I’m involved in the #ThinkHyndburn campaign.
You’ll have seen the banners around our townships and now we’re all getting out to our local businesses to deliver window stickers and then spread the word about them on the Council’s and the businesses social feeds.
Thanks to the efforts of business owners and residents it’s been a great success, with shoppers enjoying the many local offerings. People have pulled together to support these businesses and joined forces under the #ThinkHyndburn campaign – shopping safely and securely.
We need the continued support of shop keepers and shoppers to bring our community together, champion our borough and help our economy recover, so please #ThinkHyndburn, buy local when you can and share your business and or purchases on social media. For more info about the campaign visit: