Printed on Friday, June 17, 2022
THE FLAG of the Armed Forces will probably be raised in Leicester’s City Corridor Sq. on Monday (20 June) to mark the beginning of Armed Forces Week.
Lord Mayor Cllr George Cole will probably be joined by Deputy Lieutenant Ramanbhai Barber for the easy ceremony at 11am.
The flag-raising ceremony will probably be adopted by the Armed Forces Day parade on Saturday (25 June).
Led by the pipes and drums of the Seaforth Highlanders, the 400-strong parade of service personnel, veterans, reservists and cadets will step off from Jubilee Sq. at 10.30am and make its option to Inexperienced Dragon Sq..
Ongoing works at Leicester Cathedral imply that the Drumhead Service – a standard service held within the discipline, wherein regimental drums are positioned collectively to type an altar – will happen in Inexperienced Dragon Sq. this 12 months.
The parade route will absorb Excessive Avenue, Gallowtree Gate and Horsefair Avenue, earlier than arriving in Inexperienced Dragon Sq..
Crowds in Inexperienced Dragon Sq. will probably be entertained by the Corps of Drums from 10.45am, earlier than a fly-past by a single Spitfire at 11.16am will sign the beginning of the open-air service.
Led by the Bishop of Loughborough, Saju Muthalaly, the 30-minute service will embody the reflections of a serving soldier and performances by the Cottesmore Navy Wives Choir.
Restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic imply that it’s the primary time since 2019 that the parade has taken place – and Lord Mayor Cllr George Cole is hoping that individuals will prove in numbers on Saturday 25 June to indicate their help.
“Let’s present our service women and men how a lot we admire them by lining the parade route on 25 June,” he mentioned.
“Armed Forces Day is a vital alternative to indicate our help – and it’s additionally a possibility to benefit from the spectacle of a marching band and a army parade, proper right here, in our metropolis centre.
“After lacking the final two years because of Covid, we’re delighted to acknowledge the work of our armed forces, each previous and current, and to welcome them again to Leicester.”
Assistant Metropolis Mayor Cllr Vi Dempster is town council’s Armed Forces Champion.
DRAFT: “Each my mother and father served within the forces, so I do know the sacrifices that our servicemen and ladies make to serve our nation,” she mentioned.
“In a metropolis as numerous as Leicester, we don’t want reminding of the massive position performed by our Commonwealth companions in varied conflicts over time.
“Armed Forces Week provides us a possibility to indicate our gratitude to all of these courageous women and men, from Britain and past, who proceed to play such a significant position within the safety of our nation.”
Leicester has a longstanding relationship with native models of the armed forces, with each the Royal Lancers and Royal Anglian Regiments having been granted the liberty of town of Leicester.
Town council can be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, which units out the authority’s relationship with the armed forces, and the providers obtainable to present and former personnel and their households.
Leicester’s Armed Forces Day Parade and Service has been organised by Leicester Metropolis Council, Leicestershire County Council, the Lieutenancy Workplace, and Leicester Cathedral.
