Historic flypast to honour Sir Tom
A SECOND World War-era plane will soar over Captain Sir Tom Moore’s funeral service in honour of the veteran and NHS charity fundraiser.
The C-47 Dakota, part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which operates from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, will perform the flypast. Sir Tom’s 100th birthday celebrations last year included a Spitfire flypast and he was photographed punching the air as it went past.
Soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment will carry his coffin to the crematorium today, with a firing party, a bugler and a ceremonial guard also forming part of the service. Sir Tom, who raised more than £32 million for the NHS with a sponsored walk of his garden in the first lockdown, served with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment during the Second World War.
The regiment later merged with two others from Yorkshire, becoming the
Yorkshire Regiment, and Sir Tom was made an honorary colonel last August.
Six soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment will carry Sir Tom’s coffin into the crematorium. A firing party of 14 will each fire three rounds in unison, and a bugler will sound The Last Post at the end of the private service.
A NEWCASTLE school has been handed a top cash prize for its commitment to keeping pupils fed despite the challenges of lockdown.
Benfield School’s breakfast club was voted the best of its kind in the North East by a panel of judges at the Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards.
It means a cash prize of £1,000 to spend on the club, as well as a special ‘party pack’ to help students celebrate.
The panel were impressed by teachers’ “commitment to ensure every child has breakfast to start their day” as well as “their ability to adapt to regulations during the pandemic”.
During the first national lockdown, staff teamed up with community volunteers created to deliver breakfast hampers to every pupil entitled to free school meals. After food vouchers were made available, the school collaborated with local charities to distribute the hampers on a weekly basis.
Deputy Head Maria Irving said: “We are delighted to have received the award for Best Breakfast Club in the North East. We are proud recipients and feel it acknowledges the service we are providing daily for the
Barry, Pledger Wigan
Benfield School community.
“It also reinforces the significance of everyone having access to breakfast at the start of every day, irrespective of the difficult situation we have encountered during the Covid period.”
It’s not just during the pandemic that the Benfield club has stood out.
Since 2018, Assistant Headteacher at Benfield, Sarah Wardle, has been determined to ensure children have “the best start to their day”.
The club now opens from 7.30am to accommodate all family routines, while TV screens have been introduced to encourage children to take in breakfast news.
The club continues to offer a daily breakfast menu to all students and has extended food outlets to four areas across the school to adapt to social distancing guidelines.
Teachers plan to spend the winnings on a food transportation trolley to increase satellite distribution, along with equipment for post 16 students such as a kettle and a toaster.
Chris Silcock, VP and chief of Kellogg’s UK and Ireland, said: “I have had the opportunity to see the amazing work breakfast clubs do first hand. The pandemic has proven that now, more than ever, breakfast clubs are vital for so many families.
‘’The Kellogg’s Breakfast Club awards provide a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible and vital difference these clubs make across the UK.”