This year the Cheshire Roll of Honour will be raising funds for three charities. Teenage Cancer Trust, Walking with the Wounded, and the Lochnagar Crater Foundation.

On the 7 July 2022 I will be walking 26 miles following the frontline of the British sector of the Somme battlefield, starting in the northern area at Foncquevillers Military Cemetery the walk ends at the point where the British and French stood shoulder to shoulder as the battle commenced on the 1 July 1916.

Walking with me will be David Brown from the Royal British Legion and Max Morrisons brother, Vincent. Along the route there will be live updates and information.

Why these charities?

Teenage Cancer Trust.

In August 2018 I was a battlefield guide for the Leger/British Legion GP90 Tour, in my group was a young man, Max Morrison from Macclesfield. Max was 16 at the time, I asked him if he would help with a presentation I was going to make at Thiepval Memorial about a 16-year-old from Wallasey who was killed in action on the 7th July 1916. Max agreed and from one 16-year-old to another, Private Frank Steer, age 16 serving with the Cheshire Regiment was remembered.

Unknown to myself at the time Max was in remission from cancer. Sadly, a few months later cancer had returned and was more aggressive, at age 17 Max passed away 23 May 2019. Max loved music and had released a number of tracks; he also had a huge love of history and respect for the memory of those who have fallen in conflict. Max raised funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, his story can be found here. Max Morrison

Walking with Wounded.

The Cheshire Roll of Honour lists over 30,000 men and women from the county that have fallen in conflict since the Boer War to the present day, many more of those who served and returned will be added this year, many suffered injuries and trauma. Today many of our current veterans need our support. Walking with the Wounded deliver employment, mental health, care coordination and volunteering programmes in collaboration with the NHS to get those who served, and their families, whether mentally, socially or physically wounded, back on their feet and making a positive contribution once more. More can be found here Walking with the Wounded

The Lochnagar Crater Foundation

Lochnagar Crater was created by a large mine placed beneath the German front line on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, it was one of 19 mines that were placed beneath the German lines in the British sector. The British named the mine after ‘Lochnagar Street a trench where the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers dug a shaft 90 feet deep into the chalk then excavated some 300 yards toward the German lines to place 60,000 lbs (27 tons) of ammonal explosives in two large adjacent chambers 60 feet apart. At 7.28am 1st July 1916 the mine was exploded leaving a massive crater 70 ft deep and 330 ft wide. Today the Lochnagar Crater has been preserved as a memorial to all the men and women of all nations who suffered in the First World War and has more than 200,000 visits a year. More can be found here The Lochnagar Foundation

The foundation receives no official financial support although it is increasingly recognised as an international symbol of peace and reconciliation. Funds are needed for the upkeep of the ground and pathway which provide an all year round, free, safe rewarding access to visitors.

The Lochnagar Crater Foundation was formed

• To maintain and preserve the site, and to enable visitors to have a fulfilling and emotional experience.

• To ensure it is never exploited for commercial or personal gain.

• To provide year -round free accessibility for all.

• To foster the unique atmosphere of peace and to help promote personal, social national and international reconciliation.

• To bring individuals and communities together in an innovative spirit of kindness, goodwill and fellowship