Students at Chester’s Hammond School donate sweets to Cheshire soldiers about to leave for Afghanistan

Dec 1 2009 by Paul Mannion, Chester Chronicle

SHARING students at The Hammond School in Chester have given 1,500 packets of Haribo to sweet toothed soldiers from the Dale Barracks who are about to deploy to Afghanistan.

Representatives from the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh visited the Mannings Lane school on Friday to collect the children’s sweets, which they call “moralibo” as they don’t melt in the high temperatures and remind them of home.

Development manager Julia Edwards said: “The soldiers were also given cards and letters written by Year 7 Hammond students, which will be handed out to soldiers and the letters read at prayers over the Christmas period.Š

“Judy Rowbottom, head of boarding at the Hammond, helped and encouraged the pupils in their Haribo collection, letter and card writing.

“Wrexham WI also collected packets, and the makers of Haribo donated 1,000 small Haribo packets to this very worthy cause.

“Well done to theŠHammond studentsŠwho successfully avoided the temptation of eating the sweets!”

Solders from the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh will be sent to Afghanistan later this month as part of the deployment of an extra 500 troops.