Q. Why should there be a Welsh National Monument?
At present there are several small memorials in Wales dedicated to specific units Regiments or areas. There is no National Monument which is dedicated to the achievements of the Task Force and in memory of all our fallen!
Q. When do you plan to have it built? Where will it be?
Hopefully in 2007 during the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. The Monument will be located in Cardiff, Wales’s Capital. We are currently in talks with Cardiff County Council who will put forward a choice where it could go; we then make a decision on precise placement.
Q. Who is supporting this?
At present we have written support from most Assembly Members (We wrote to them a few weeks ago), Cardiff County Council, Falkland Islands Government, various Regimental Associations several Members of Parliament and a long list of other bodies. As you can see we’ve been busy, however the official launch will be in May 2006.
Q. How much will it cost? How are you going to get the money?
Good questions! We can get the monument built to our specifications for £15,000 using the team already assembled. This would be about half the total of the price if we were to use a construction company. The team are doing the job for us at no profit to themselves thus making a fantastic contribution to our branch and to the people of Wales.
There are many avenues for funding but first we must look at ourselves. We as veterans need to be seen to contribute to the fund by several fundraising events if need be, more about that later. We intend to write to every social club in Wales asking for a small donation, we will contact several other outlets for larger donations including lottery funding. Private companies will be contacted and no stone unturned in our fight to reach our target. Basically the more people we ask the smaller the contribution we need from them!
Q. What benefit is a monument to SAMA Wales and its members?
Whether you agree or not with the project the fact, is it will help our branch in many ways. Firstly it will be a focal point for any commemorations allowing all family and friends without any bias to remember those who didn’t come home with us. It will keep the Falklands in the spotlight for years to come, greatly benefiting our causes for Veterans and Families. It will generate a lot of extra income which would benefit the branch. During the course of the build large numbers of new influential ‘friends’ will help or support us and remain with us for the future. The high publicity generated during the dedication ceremony will increase membership to SAMA Wales and SAMA (82) accordingly.
Q. How can I help?
Have you got a spare £15,000 (only joking)? Think about how you can help. Sponsored events, collection tins, company funding. When we launch in May we hope to ask for public donations, we will also have a polished funding strategy in place. If you really want to help give me a ring for a chat and we’ll gather a database to organise something for the future. I have put together a brochure for the monument and also a donator’s information sheet. Please ring for copies.