At award ceremony for the Royal British Legion the Church as well as some of its members were thanked.
An award ceremony for the Royal British Legion was held on Jan 26, 2018, where the Church as well as some of its members were thanked.
Preston Ward members Roger Kendle and Margaret Robey attended the awards night. They said, “We were able to accept a certificate in recognition of the tremendous support given to the Leyland Branch of the Royal British Legion by the South Ribble and Preston Wards both in terms of cash raised and volunteer time given. Church volunteers were praised throughout the night for their very significant contributions.”
The evening recorded the contributions made by the Church over the past five years. The contributions were given under the leadership of Bishop Richard Cooper, who was thanked throughout the evening. In his previous calling as bishop, Brother Cooper organised the 2013/2014 Leyland Poppy Appeal at short notice, and it led to almost doubling the previous year’s total. He further increased the total in the 2014/2015 campaign and left a legacy which has helped greatly in generating £120,500.00 in the five-year period for the Leyland Poppy Appeal. This tradition established by Brother Cooper continues today, with many members enthusiastically supporting the annual campaign during the Poppy Appeal.
Due to being unwell, Brother Richard Cooper was unable to attend the award night, but his wife, Sylvia, commented, “Richard would have loved to have been there, I know, but his frail and debilitating health renders him housebound. Whilst it was a lot of work, I know he loved doing it and was at times quite overwhelmed at the level of support from South Ribble and Preston Ward.”