Parents of soldier killed in Iraq support fundraising festival

THE parents of a soldier murdered in Iraq will officially open the food festival at a North Yorkshire store that is raising funds for the Help for Heroes campaign.

John and Sandra Hyde, the parents of Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, will be at the Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton High Street to open the gourmet food and wine firm’s Christmas food and drink festival next month.

L/Cpl Hyde, 23, was serving in Basra with the UK military police when he was killed along with five other Red Caps after a mob of 400 Iraqis descended on a police station in the town of Majar al-Kabir in June 2003.

His parents, from Northallerton, set up a memorial trust in their son’s name to raise funds for charities – and more than 30,000 has been raised since the fund, which supports local community services and youth organisations as well as the Royal Military Police Central Benevolent Fund, was opened in March 2005.

Volunteers from the Northallerton Detachment of the Army Cadet Force will also help at the event.

Proceeds from their efforts, and from ticket sales and entry on the day to the festival, will go to the Help For Heroes charity, which supports servicemen and women from the armed forces who have been wounded in conflicts.

The store’s general manager, Victoria Howard, said: “Help For Heroes was a very popular choice among staff when we were choosing this year’s good cause.

“It does a fantastic job helping wounded servicemen and women and we are delighted to support its work.”

Staff at Lewis and Cooper have raised tens of thousands of pounds with annual shopping events that have been held in the run-up to Christmas.

Each year, on the first Sunday in November, an event is staged to give shoppers the chance to sample offers and tastings from scores of producers. There are also cookery demonstrations and competitions.

Tickets for this year’s event are on sale, priced 2 in advance, from Lewis & Cooper’s stores in Northallerton and Yarm or by email from [email protected] or by calling 01609 766602.

The festival will be held at the firm’s Northallerton store on Sunday, November 7, between 10am and 4pm.