Iraq duties force range to cancel fundraiser (From Western Telegraph)

Iraq duties force range to cancel fundraiser

Peace keeping duties by British military forces in Iraq have led to the cancellation of a major fundraising event in Pembrokeshire.

The annual Forces Open Day at Castlemartin Range last year raised £3,000 for two good causes.

But the event scheduled for July 12th has been called off because the star attractions - soldiers from the Light Dragoons - have been deployed to Iraq.

This armoured reconnaissance regiment was due to train at Castlemartin Range. But, as range commandant, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Rogers, explained, those plans had now changed.

The Light Dragoons will be in Iraq and, with no regiment to take its place, the Range had little alternative but to cancel the Forces Open Day, he said. "It is something we very much regret but it would be difficult to have an open day without a regiment firing here at the time.

"We have considered alternatives such as having parades of marching bands but we don't feel this would work.''

The next tank regiment to train at Castlemartin will not arrive until October. Money raised from the open day is divided between SAFFA Forces Help and Warren Church. This church, adopted by the military when the German Army was stationed at Castlemartin Range, has recently undergone major work to preserve its tower.

Colonel Rogers hopes to have a series of smaller fundraising events to make up the shortfall these two beneficiaries now face.

l Yesterday (Tuesday), the running of the support services at the 6,000 acre range was handed over to a private company, Landmark Support Services. The contracts of support workers transferred from the Ministry of Defence to Landmark.