£10,000 has been raised for the Royal British Legion at the Lakeland Motor Museum, following the installation of a display to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of World War One, or ‘The Great War’.
Fundraising began in 2014, with the £10,000 target reached this year, 100 years since the war began in 1919. The flow of donations by people visiting the museum at Backbarrow was further boosted by interest in the 75th anniversary of World War Two’s D-Day landings.
Donation points were set up alongside the museum’s WW1 command post display, featuring a 1918 Triumph Model H used as a despatch-riders motorcycle, alongside a list of local people from the area who died during the conflict.
The Royal British Legion’s Robert Hutton – who is also the Poppy Appeal organiser for Backbarrow, presented a certificate of appreciation marking the funding milestone to Lakeland Motor Museum Chairman Leslie Micklethwaite.
Robert says, “We’re both delighted and deeply touched that so many visitors to the Lakeland Motor Museum have dug-deep into their pockets and helped the work of the Royal British Legion. We’re also very grateful to local man, Ron Mein, who helped to create the museum’s World War One display thanks to countless hours of research”.
Ron adds, “By creating this display, our visitors have really learned how World War One affected the whole country, including rural areas like ours. We’ve had comments from younger visitors who admitted they didn’t realise how close to home both World Wars were, with an assumption it all ‘happened on battlefields far away’. I’m delighted the work we have put in at the Lakeland Motor Museum hasn’t gone un-noticed and the whole team is filled with gratitude to those who have very kindly donated money.”
The display remains in place at the museum, which also includes a unique collection of 30,000 exhibits, including well over 150 classic cars and motorbikes.
