REDDITCH MP Karen Lumley recently attended a memorial service at the Oosterbeek War Cemetery in Arnhem to honour those killed during Operation Market Garden 70 years ago.

During the service Dutch schoolchildren laid flowers on each of the graves in the cemetery, which has 1,680 British and Commonwealth, three Polish, and three Dutch soldiers buried in it.

Also in Arnhem were representatives from Lloyds Bank and the Redditch branch of the Parachute Regimental Association.

Lloyds decided to help the group raise money after meeting Barry Tansley from the association at a funding fair Mrs Lumey organised last year.

She said: “I was very proud to be one of two MPs at the service, along with Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Rt Hon Mark Francois MP, and to have been able to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Redditch.

"This was undoubtedly the major success of the funding fair with, thanks to the help of Lloyds staff, £17,000 being raised.

"Having returned from Arnhem I'm sure all will agree that this was well worth all their efforts.”