PEOPLE across Leicester will remember the city’s fallen service men and women at the city’s annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
The Service of Remembrance will take place at the Arch of Remembrance in Victoria Park on Sunday 8 November from 10.45am. It will commence with a military parade, leaving De Montfort Hall and led by the Seaforth Highlanders Pipes and Drums.
The parade will step off at 10.45am, making its way to the arch, where the Service of Remembrance will commence at 10:55am, led by the Lord Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Reverend Martyn Snow.
The Last Post will be played just ahead of the two-minute silence at 11am, followed by a lament, played by a piper from the Seaforth Highlanders, before the service continues.
The band of the Salvation Army will accompany the hymns, supported by the City of Leicester Singers and the Leicester Cathedral Choir.
Official wreaths will be laid by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Colonel Richard Hurwood DL; the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Kulwinder Singh Johal; and Commander Andrew Platt from HMS Daring, Leicester and Leicestershire’s affiliated naval ship.
Wreaths will also be laid by representatives of local emergency services, military units and faith communities. Other organisations and veterans’ associations will lay wreaths immediately afterwards, with an opportunity for members of the public to lay wreaths at the end of the service.
As the service concludes, the parade will step off through the Arch of Remembrance and back onto Centenary Walk, returning to De Montfort Hall.
Lord Mayor Cllr Kulwinder Singh Johal said: “Remembrance Sunday is our opportunity to pay our respects to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in defence of our country. It is a time where we can come together as a community to pay tribute to all members of our armed forces, and I am honoured to lay a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the people of Leicester.”
Limited public seating will be available at the service, on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be a designated seating area for those with a disability or who are unable to stand for long periods.
Granville Road car park will be closed from midnight on Saturday (7 November) until around 12:30pm on Sunday (8 November) and drivers are reminded that vehicles should not be left in the car park overnight.
A limited number of parking spaces for Blue Badge holders will be available. Those requiring a space are asked to send their request to lord.mayor@leicester.gov.uk or to call 0116 454 0020.
Road closures will be in operation on both Granville Road and Regent Road from 9.30am until 12.30pm on Sunday. Access will be maintained for residents of Salisbury Road.
On Remembrance Day itself (Wednesday, 11 November), Leicester Market will observe a two-minute silence at 11am, with shoppers and traders in Green Dragon Square invited to pause in reflection with the Lord Mayor of Leicester.