Cheshire East Council has saluted the bravery of our battle-hardened local regiment on its return from Afghanistan – by granting it the Freedom of the Borough.
1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) has just returned from active service on the frontline in war-torn Helmand Province.
Cheshire East Mayor Gordon Baxendale had put the motion to honour ‘The Cheshires’ and the three other Mercian battalions before the Council – and it was unanimously backed.
Last night’s Freedom Ceremony, at Congleton Town Hall, was the first granted by Cheshire East Council, which came into being on April 1, 2009.
Representatives of The Mercian Regiment – whose motto is ‘Stand firm, strike hard’ – were given fulsome tributes from Council Leader Wesley Fitzgerald, Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Labour group leader Cllr Dorothy Flude and Independent group leader Cllr Paul Edwards.
Mayor Baxendale presented the regiment with an engraved Honorary Freemen commemorative bowl.
Freedom of the Borough scrolls will be presented to the troops during official homecoming parades at Macclesfield and Crewe on Monday, November 8 and Congleton on Wednesday, November 10.
Cllr Fitzgerald said: “The bravery and dedication of the troops of 1 Mercian in Afghanistan has been inspirational and the Council is deeply proud of its links with, and support for, the regiment.”
Mayor Baxendale said: “I thought it was important to establish and cement the new Council’s friendship with our locally-recruited regiment – by giving them the very first Freedom of the Borough on their return from Afghanistan. The soldiers have been magnificent – and the Council is rightly proud of its links with The Mercian Regiment.”
The servicemen and women of 1 Mercian are recruited from Congleton, Crewe, Holmes Chapel, Middlewich, Macclesfield, Sandbach and across Cheshire West.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Hadfield, Commanding Officer 1 Mercian, praised the work done by Cheshire East and its residents to raise the morale of troops during their tour of duty in a war zone.
He particularly praised those responsible for organising and helping the ‘Jiffy bag’ scheme, which collected thousands of parcels of treats to send to 1 Mercian troops in Helmand. Cheshire East Council collections led to more than 750 parcels being donated, with average contents costing £10 per bag. Further collections of DVDs and video games have also boosted troops in hospital recovering from injuries.
Lt Col Hadfield said: “It really has meant a great deal to our troops to know they have had the full support of the people of East Cheshire – they really appreciated it. Being granted the Freedom of the Borough is a great honour.”
Major Eddie Pickering MBE, the Assistant Regimental Secretary, said: “I have been astonished at the generosity of people from every corner of the county, who have supported our troops these last six months – and there have been none as generous as the people of Cheshire East, from fundraising and sending out packages of comforts, to visiting our injured soldiers in hospital.”
Mayor Baxendale added: “The whole promotion of the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) started in Congleton and, with the help of the Cheshire East Council communications team, we have actively worked across the whole area to show our full support for the outstanding work undertaken by our brave men and women.
“The Jiffy bag campaign went a little way to giving practical aid and a boost to morale to the frontline troops.”
The Cheshire’s main role in Helmand is to mentor local security forces and provide security on the ground as part of the development of creating normal, everyday life in Afghanistan.
Cllr Baxendale has named ABF The Soldiers’ Charity as one of the organisations he is fundraising for during his tenure as mayor.
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