Mercian Regiment prepares to march through city streets
A SERIES of car park and road closures affecting the city centre will take place next Tuesday, when a military parade will be held featuring local soldiers.
The Mercian Regiment, led by a military band and the regimental ram mascot, Private Derby XXXII, will march from 12 noon but closures will be in place ahead of this time.
As part of the parade, troops from the regiment will be inspected by the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill, Derbyshire High Sheriff, Michael Copestake and Mayor of Derby, Councillor Robin Wood.
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters and Staffords) was granted the Freedom of Entry to the City in September 2007. This historic honour gives the regiment the right to march through the streets of the city with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying. The event will take place three days after national Armed Forces Day tomorrow.
The local Sherwood Foresters, made up of troops from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment in 1970 and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters joined to become a battalion of the Mercian Regiment with troops from Cheshire and Staffordshire in 2007.
In the future there are plans to merge the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Mercian Regiment to become the First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment.
Private Derby is a Swaledale ram, previously the mascot of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, one of the Mercian Regiment’s antecedent regiments. The first Private Derby was acquired in 1858 and became mascot of the Mercian Regiment when it formed in 2007. He has his own Army number and can take holidays in the mating season at Chatsworth, where he originally came from as a gift from the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Closures are as follows:
MONDAY, JUNE 27
Assembly Rooms car park will be closed from 7pm on Monday, June 27 and reopens at 3pm on Tuesday, June 28. Residents and visitors can use Chapel Street or Bold Lane car park.
TUESDAY, JUNE 28
8am to 2pm: Full Street, from its junction with Queen Street to the junction with Assembly Rooms Car Park Exit Slip Road and Sowter Road from junction with St Michaels Lane to junction with Full Street will be closed to traffic. 10am to 2pm: The following roads will be closed to all traffic:
Iron Gate from the junction with Full Street to Market Place Derwent Street from the junction with Stuart Street and the junction with Corporation Street Victoria Street from Junction with St James Street to the junction with St Peter’s Street. Albert Street from Junction with St Peter’s Street to the junction with Corporation Street Tenant Street from Junction with Corporation Street to Market Place Corporation Street from the junction with Derwent Street to Junction with Morledge
Morledge from the junction with Corporation Street to the junction with bus station entrance.* Thorntree Lane from the junction with Morledge to the junction with St Peters Street
Exchange Street from Junction with Albert Street to Junction with East Street
St Peter’s Street from Junction with Albert Street to the junction with East Street
Cornmarket from the junction with Albert Street to Market Place
*At the same time, Morledge from the junction with bus station entrance to the junction with the Cock Pitt will allow access for buses only.
All parking on these streets will also be suspended during these times.