Lord Lieutenant's Poppy Cadet Awards 2011

CADETS HONOURED FOR RECORD BREAKING POPPY APPEAL 

CARING cadets from Manchester raised nearly £123,447.98 for the Poppy Appeal, which is a 10 per cent increase from the last year.

The young sea, army and air cadets in Greater Manchester raise more than any other cadet force in the country gaining high praise from the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Colonel Warren J Smith.

At a prestigious awards ceremony at Smokies Hotel, Oldham, on February 17, Colonel Smith said: "Your efforts are a magnificent achievement considering the difficult financial climate that we in. This is the 90^th anniversary of the Royal British Legion and it is amazing to see how the organisation has grown. The Poppy Appeal is, perhaps, one of the most important and significant parts of British life."

Two Army Cadets from Belle Vue, David Carney and Holly Ginder, raised an amazing £8,500 -  70 per cent of their unit's total figure. Sea Cadet sisters Chloe and Jenny Lane, from Oldham, raised nearly £1,900 between them while Oldham Air Training Corps Cadet Ashley Millward raised £3,161.94 and ATC Sergeant Jonathon Barker, from Failsworth, raised £2,925.49.

All said they received a tremendous reaction and support from the public as they sold poppies outside supermarkets and in the town centres.

Leading Cadet Jenny Lane said: "We spent about three weeks collecting on Saturdays, Sundays and a couple of days during the week. A lot of people said how nice it was to see us selling poppies and we had a massive response from people wanting to buy the pin badges. Many people donated several times."

And there was even a bit of celebrity help for Belle Vue detachment, the overall winning unit and most improved army cadet force having raised £12,415.50 -  Peter Andre contributed to the cause while he visited Eastlands

Cadet Carney, from Belle Vue, took the trophy for best cadet having raised the most. He said: "I worked really hard and would spend six hours a day selling poppies. Everyone was really nice and wished me all the best."

Cadet Millward and Sergeant Barker said selling wreathes helped them raise such large totals. Cadet Millward said: "I worked hard in the local area and wreathes were a big seller." While Sergeant Barker added: "I would spend five hours at a time collecting and also took time off college to sell poppies."

Greater Manchester County Manager for The Royal British Legion Jeff Harrison said: "We have 4,000 young cadets around the Greater Manchester Area and I am extremely proud of their efforts to raise money for the Poppy Appeal. "We have so many men and women currently serving abroad in Afghanistan and elsewhere. We should never lose sight of their dedication they give to defend the freedoms that we enjoy. The money raised by our young cadets helps them in their time of need, the efforts of the cadets are very much appreciated."

In addition to the money raised by the cadets, the Poppy Appeal has benefited a further a further £8,072.31 raised by sixth form colleges and £3,445.05 from the Officer Training Corps adding up to a total of £134,965.34 from the young men and women of Greater Manchester.

Nationally the Poppy Appeal has already raised £32.5million.