Kirkby estate agents wins Armed Forces Day competition in memory of Rifleman Adrian Sheldon

Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, from Kirkby, died in May 2009, aged 25, in Afghanistan, and his mum, Diane Sheldon, along with Ashfield MP Lee Anderson, wanted to honour his memory by inviting businesses to create a display for Armed Forces Day.

Several businesses in Kirkby town centre took part and the winning business was presented with the Adrian Sheldon Memorial Trophy, which will be engraved with their business name and they will be able to display it for a year, until the next competition.

Mr Anderson said: “There was some stiff competition in Kirkby at our first annual Armed Forces Day Competition.

"We gave traders in Kirkby the opportunity to dress up their windows in memory of Adrian, who sadly lost his life in Afghanistan.

“Diane and I had to make a tough decision to pick a winner as their were so many stunning decorations all throughout the high street.

“In the end, we chose Lighthouse Estate Agents & Lettings as the winners of this year’s competition and we presented them with the Adrian Sheldon Memorial Trophy, which I bought earlier this week.

“If your shop didn’t get picked, the great news is we will be doing this competition every year now for Armed Forces Day so stay tuned for next year.”

Lindsay Groves, estate agent at Lighthouse Estate Agents & Lettings, on Station Street, said: “We’re all about community so we wanted to get involved.

"We wanted to include the Royal Navy because our colleagues have Navy ties and also Samantha who also works here was friends with Adrian when they were growing up so it made it very personal.”

Diane said: "It was great to get businesses to take part in something like this as the event means something to a lot of people, so that’s the reason why we wanted to do this.

“A letter went out to invite the businesses to put displays up.

“I wasn’t expecting there to be a memorial cup as well, I think that’s really lovely and it’s got Adrian’s name on and it’s going to be used every year, which is a bonus as it means we might get more businesses taking part next year.

“It’s a great way for them to get together, sharing ideas, which I know some of them are already doing.

“For Adrian this keeps his memory alive and anything I can do to keep his memory alive, for my family, my daughter, Amy, and my husband, Mark, then this is what I’ve got to do.

“There were a few displays that made a real effort and there was a wide range of things in the windows so people can have a read and learn more about our history and take an interest in it.”

Earlier this year it was also revealed Adrian will have a new street named after him.

Armed Forces Day takes place this year on Saturday, June 24.