Pelsall is campaigning hard for donations to pay for the local Remembrance parade. Image from ITV news.

Over the coming weeks and months I will be posting a fair few appeals here in support of local Remembrance parade fundraising efforts in several local communities, because you all know how important to me Remembrance is, and from past articles here, why in Walsall the traditional November parades are under threat.

Although Walsall Council have stepping in with contributions, they don’t come anywhere near to funding the full cost of traffic management for parades, and with West Midlands Police withdrawing all such support in 2017, it’s up to communities to raise the rest.

I’m as cross about this as anyone else about the situation, and have been angry since the whole thing blew up in 2015. Sadly, I think the thing is intractable and in the absence of creative solutions, all involved parties are going to need to be flexible and work together.

With all this in mind, this Saturday, 22nd April 2017, four decent Pelsall lads – Dave Whitehouse, Martin Evans, Tom Dawson and Pat James – are walking up Snowdon via the Watkin Path – not an easy route – to raise money for Pelsall’s Parade Appeal.

You can find out more about Pelsall Preservation of Pelsall Rembrance Service (POPRS) appeal here on their Facebook page.

Their Just Giving page is here – on it they say:

As residents of Pelsall all our lives, we were horrified to hear our remembrance service was under threat, so this is our bit to help fund the continuation of the Pelsall remembrance service so as a village we can show our respect to the fallen who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Myself, Martin Evans, Tom Dawson and Pat James are going to walk up the watkin path to the summit of snowdon on April 22, 2017 to raise money to help with the POPRS (preservation of Pelsall remembrance service). All money donated via this page will go to the POPRS account to fund the continuation of this part of our local heritage.

Thank you all in advance for your support and donations.
Dave, Martin, Tom and Pat.

You can donate by clicking this link here.

Good luck to the lads involved and let us know how you get on!

In the spirit of fairness, you can help with Brownhills’ appeal here, and I’m advertising an event for that one later.

As an aside, on the creative point, why can’t the Police Authority or whoever add a perhaps 1% levy to the fees charged for policing large commercial events – like football matches – and ring fence the money gained for Remembrance parade policing? Clubs would appear mean to object, and surely, no community club would reject that?

In my opinion, football in particular has never paid enough towards policing, so this would help everyone.

Just a thought. Tell me I’m wrong and why: comment here or BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.

Comment welcome, but please do support these appeals.