Longridge headmaster's plea to raise Â£1m to help armed forces veterans

Headmaster Simon Wallis and pupils with some of the poppies made for the Armistice commemoration

The appeal follows the successful ‘Armistice - The Great War Remembered’ productions at Preston’s Guild Hall on November 11.

Simon Wallis, headmaster of Longridge's Barnacre Road school, wrote and directed the two performances which had a cast of 600 pupils from 15 local schools and more than 100 staff.

Now he is the driving force behind the new appeal and said: “After the show we had collection buckets out and collected £6,000. We would really like as part of the legacy to try and raise £1m.

Scene from 'Armistice - The Great War Remembered' depicting the aftermath of the Somme battle

“I know it’s a big ask, but there are lots of small veterans groups in small communities who are desperate for finances. If we could raise £1m we could help some of those community support groups.”

Funds will also be boosted by the sale of props and costumes from the Guild Hall performances and by the sale of wooden soldier silhouettes which had been placed around the town and in surrounding villages as part of the district's Remembrance tributes.

The Guild Hall shows were the culmination of an 18 month project. Many of the schools involved now plan to erect a Remembrance monument and create memorial gardens.

Simon said: “It was fabulous. The feedback we’ve had from everybody who went to see it was overwhelming.”

Red Baron Ballet from 'Armistice - The Great War Remembered'

He said audience members had also praised the way pupils and staff from different schools worked so well together.

Sponsorship came from the National Lottery, Army Community Covenant, local businesses and private donations to raise the nearly £50,000 for the project. A display of related art work was included in the Guild Hall box office foyer.

The £1m appeal will be part of the project’s legacy and Simon added: “We were appalled to hear last week on the news that eight veterans a week are taking their lives and there is not enough support out there due to cuts. We want to help them. Please help us to raise this money so we can create a lasting legacy.”

* The Longridge Cluster schools involved in the project were: Longridge High, St Cecilia’s, Hillside special school, Barnacre Road primary, St Wilfrid’s RC school, Longridge Berry Lane C.E., Grange school, Ribbleton, Grimsargh St Michael’s, Alston Lane RC, Goosnargh Oliverson’s, St Francis Hill Chapel, Whitechapel school, Brabin’s Endowed and St Mary’s schools, Chipping and Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE school.