CCA Galleries International to host exhibition of war memorabilia supplied by The British Red Cross and sponsored by Nedbank to mark the 70th anniversary of the Channel Islands liberation

JERSEY, 2015-1-7 — /Travel PR News/ — To mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Channel Islands, CCA Galleries International is proud to host an exhibition of war memorabilia supplied by The British Red Cross and sponsored by Nedbank.

The celebrations begin at No. 8 Hill Street on Wednesday 14th January with a Breakfast Briefing for invited guests entitled ‘Battlefield to Boardroom’ by ex-commanding officer in Afghanistan, Harry Fullerton OBE. The exhibition officially opens to the public at CCA Galleries International from Friday 16th until Saturday 31st January 2015.

On display will be a model of SS Vega, created by the Jersey Model Boat Club with a selection of poems, artwork, sculpture, jewellery and glasswork submitted by local artists and school children. In addition to this, Aurum have created an edition of 44 limited edition silver models of SS Vega to celebrate the ship arriving in the year 1944. The silver models are available to purchase at the price of £780 with £80 going towards The British Red Cross.

Gallery Manager, Liz Purgal is keen to support such a worthwhile charity and says;

“We are delighted to host this exhibition for The British Red Cross for this special anniversary. It is a fitting way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of liberation, with a unique visual presentation of nostalgic artworks, allowing Islanders to remember all the wonderful help that was received during the Second World War.”

Operations Manager for The British Red Cross, Nick Chandler says;

“This exhibition is particularly important as it brings to life and highlights how The British Red Cross has helped people in crisis allowing them to recover and move on with their lives. It also bridges the gap between a generation that understood or were in some way affected by the hardships of the time and a younger generation who can learn to appreciate all the work that was done to secure their safe future.”

When Germany occupied the Channel Islands during the Second World War, islanders found their lines of communication almost completely severed from relatives in the UK. For a time, they were entirely cut off from the food supplies they relied on. Fortunately, the Red Cross ship SS Vega sailed to the rescue, bringing much-needed relief and comfort supplies. The SS Vega was sent for the relief of islanders, leaving Lisbon on 20 December and arriving first in Guernsey, on 27 December, and later in Jersey, unloading its supplies on December 31. The shipment included 119,792 standard food parcels and 4,200 diet supplement parcels for the ill as well as 5.2 tons of salt, four tons of soap and 96,000 cigarettes.”

The British Red Cross continue to help people around the world and in the UK today. In most cases the organisation is the first to arrive in a crisis or disaster.

www.ccagalleriesinternational.com

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