Business leaders invited to lay wreaths at special memorial service at Accrington Stanley

Local business leaders and sponsors at Accrington Stanley are being invited to lay wreaths at a special memorial service, which will be held at Accrington Stanley's Wham Stadium on Remembrance Sunday.

Taking place at the club's Accrington Pals Memorial Garden at 12:45pm, the service will be led by Official Accrington Stanley Supporters' Trust (OASST) Chaplain, Debra Phillips.

HML Recycling Managing Director, Stuart Rogan, Haworths Financial Services Director, John McGregor, and Chair of #AmazingAccrington, Murray Dawson, have already been confirmed to lay wreaths at the service and now fellow business leaders are being encouraged to do the same.

Business leaders who would like to lay a wreath are being asked to email OASST Chair, Peter Leatham, by 5pm on Tuesday 5th November - [email protected].

The service will be followed by an optional ticketed event in Accrington Stanley's 1968 Lounge, where a special Accrington Pals Documentary will be screened.

Tickets are available for £10, which includes entry to the screening, plus pie, peas and a drink. Doors will open at 1:15pm, with the documentary getting underway at 1:45pm and running until approximately 3:15pm.

The documentary was produced by Rory MacColl, the grandson of Lt. Col. Arthur Rickman, who commanded the Accrington Pals from 1915 until the end of the Great War. The documentary, titled ‘The Men Are A Good Deal Rattled', explores Arthur's role as commandant in the Pals, telling the story of the battalion during WWI.

Sadly, Rory recently passed away, and the screening of the documentary will also act as a tribute to his life and work.

Narrated by Rory himself, the documentary also features music from the East Lancashire Concert Band, who as the Accrington Old Band, led the Pals recruits march past Accrington Town Hall in September 1914. An instrumental figure in the music featured in the documentary is Ian McGuinness from the East Lancashire Concert Band, and Ian will be introducing the documentary on Remembrance Sunday.

Tickets can be purchased online here: https://www.venuetoolbox.com/AccringtonStanley/ASP/bookTickets.asp

Peter Leatham, Chair of the OASST, said: "The memorial service at Accrington Stanley is always very well attended and we want to give local businesses and business leaders the chance to be involved by laying a wreath and paying their respects at the Accrington Pals Memorial Garden.

"Tickets are selling fast for the special documentary screening of the Accrington Pals, and we would like to encourage as many people as possible to get their tickets before it's too late."

The Memorial Service at the Wham Stadium is open to the club's fans and general public.