LOCAL businesses are showing support for veterans in a charity campaign.

The Andover Supporting Veterans campaign is encouraging businesses to display an ‘Andover Supporting Veterans’ sticker in their windows.

The scheme, which was launched on Thursday, November 1 at the War Memorial, pictured above, was the brainchild of Andover town councillor Richard Rowles.

Cllr Rowles said: “Supporting veterans is important for Andover because it’s a major military town now especially with Army HQ here, Middle Wallop and other military installations around the town.

“Specifically, however, veterans that have risked their lives to protect our country should be given our support, and I think there’s a lot of smaller independent companies who’d like to show their support for veterans”

The event saw a display of support from locally based charity and scheme partners Veterans In Action (VIA), with their expedition ready Land Rover recently returned from a six-week tour of the battlefields of Europe.

This was alongside an 11ft working model of a First World War bi-plane.

Business owner Kevin Farrar of International Furniture has already signed up to the scheme.

He said: “We do a poppy display every year that brings in a vast amount of people and it brings in quite a bit of revenue for the British Legion, which I’ve been happy to do for the last five years in the store, it’s a massive display moment but sadly it won’t take place this year.

“I’ve paid for a memorial bench outside my shop.

“My grandfather was a rear gunner on a Lancaster bomber and my two brothers served in the forces and I just think it’s sad they do get forgotten by some people, but we should all be remembering them all year round, not just at this time of the year.”