THE FLAG of the Armed Forces will be raised at Leicester’s Town Hall on Monday (22 June) to mark the start of Armed Forces Week.
Leicester’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Kulwinder Singh Johal, will be joined by the Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur OBE, CStJ, for the ceremony at 1.30pm.
The flag will be flown until Armed Forces Day on Saturday (27 June), when Leicester will host its annual Armed Forces Day parade.
The parade, led by the Pipes and Drums of the Seaforth Highlanders, will be made up of serving military, reservists, veterans and cadets and will step off from Belgrave Gate, near to the Haymarket car park, at 11am on Saturday. It will make its way past the Clock Tower, onto High Street, and fall out in Jubilee Square.
A saluting dais will be positioned on High Street opposite Carts Lane, where the salute will be taken by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Lt Cdr James Callender from HMS Daring, the Royal Naval ship recently affiliated to Leicester and Leicestershire.
They will be joined on the dais by the Lord Mayor of Leicester and the Chairman of Leicestershire County Council.
The parade will fall out in Jubilee Square, where a drumhead service will take place, starting at around 11.20am. The service will begin with the formation of the drumhead made up of five single drums and will be led by the Dean of Leicester and the Bishop of Loughborough.
Both the city council and the county council are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, which sets out the authorities’ relationship with the armed forces and the services available to current and former personnel and their families.
Councillor Elaine Halford, the city council’s Armed Forces Champion, said “Coming together to recognise the work of our Armed Forces, both past and present, is always an honour, and we are ever aware of the increasing unrest across the world that still heavily relies on members of our services to stand and protect us all. It is important that we continue to show them our gratitude for their commitment and dedication.”
Leicester’s Armed Forces Day Parade and Service has been organised by Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, Leicestershire Lieutenancy Office and Leicester Cathedral.