PEOPLE across Leicester will remember the city’s fallen service men and women in the annual Remembrance Day service this weekend.
On Saturday, November 11, at 11am, Leicester Market will observe its traditional two-minute silence, with shoppers and traders joining the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Dr Susan Barton, along with the Reverend Canon Karen Rooms from Leicester Cathedral, and a lone bugler for a small service of Remembrance.
The city’s main Remembrance Day service takes place at the War Memorial in Victoria Park, on Sunday, November 12.
A parade, led by the Seaforth Highlanders Pipes and Drums, and made up of members of the Armed Forces, reservists, veterans and cadets, will step off from De Montfort Hall at around 10.45am to make its way to the Arch of Remembrance ready for the service at 10.55am.
The Right Rev the Lord Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, will conduct the service with support from former BBC Radio Leicester presenter, Dave Andrews. A bugler will sound the Last Post before the firing of salutes which marks the start and end the two minutes of silence. A piper from the Seaforth Highlanders will play a lament before the service continues.
The salutes create a very loud bang and may cause alarm or distress, particularly to young children and pets nearby.
Official wreaths will be laid by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE and The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Dr Susan Barton, together with representatives from local emergency services, military units and faith representatives. There will be an opportunity for members of the public to lay wreaths at the end of the service.
The Salvation Army will accompany hymns, supported by the City of Leicester Singers and the Leicester Cathedral Choir.
Limited public seating will be available on a first come first served basis and there will be a designated seating area for those with a disability or who are unable to stand for long periods.
A returning parade will step off through the War Memorial and back onto Centenary Walk at the end of the service, returning to the front of De Montfort Hall.
Granville Road car park will be closed from midnight on the Saturday until around 1pm on Sunday, November 12, and vehicles should not be left overnight in the car park.
Road closures will be in operation on both Granville Road and Regent Road from 9.30am until 12.30pm on the Sunday. Access will be available for residents of Salisbury Road.
Leicester Lord Mayor Councillor Dr Susan Barton said: “This is a time of reflection, for us to think about and remember all those killed in the tragedy of war and armed conflict, in the past and up to the present day.”
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