Former Mayor presents veterans with £350 donation and certificate

L-R: Wing Commander David Forbes, Caen Matthews (Rochdale Council armed forces officer), Councillor Mohammed Zaman, Councillor Janet Emsley (cabinet member for armed forces)

Former Mayor Councillor Mohammed Zaman has presented Rochdale veterans with a donation, certificate of appreciation and engraved plate as a thank you for all their hard work.

Councillor Zaman, who was Mayor for the year 2018-19, presented the group with a cheque for £350 during their weekly breakfast on Thursday (4 July).

He said: “During my year as Mayor, I met so many groups that did not receive the recognition they deserved. As a result, I decided to make small donations to smaller groups alongside the charities I chose as Mayor, as they are all doing excellent work.

“I attended a number of the veterans’ breakfasts at the Town Hall during my year as Mayor. They have good fun and I am very happy and proud to support them.

“I have learned a lot from them and Caen Matthews [Rochdale Council armed forces officer] is an excellent leader.”

Councillor Zaman also donated an engraved silver plate to the group, paid for by himself for ‘Veteran of the Year’ – as chosen by the group.

The first nominated veteran, Caen Matthews, has had his name engraved on the plate, which was presented to him by the former Mayor.

“It is always good to see such a large number of veterans at the breakfasts; their good work needs to be recognised and mentioned,” Councillor Zaman concluded.

The armed forces breakfast club has served up over 1,600 breakfasts over the last 12 months and is a vital social outlet for the armed forces community.