Forces Day calls in army of musicians
Top talents performing at war memorials
West Lothian’s hottest musicians have come together to promote Armed Forces Day this year.
The likes of Mark Sharp, Luke La Volpe, Sea Cadets, Catriona Aitchison and Grace Roberts have signed up to do a tour of the county’s war memorials
Each artist will be recorded playing a song of their choice at one of the local war memorials and this will be edited together into one full length performance showcasing West Lothian, its memorials, and the talented musicians.
The virtual tour means Armed Forces Day celebrations will go ahead in West Lothian this year, but like everything else it will have a different flavour because of Covid-19.
Stephen Elliot, chairman of the charity, said: “The aim was to come up with an idea to mark the day despite Covid-19, to bring our community together, and also to try and make it an event that focused on the younger generation showing their support for HM Armed Forces.
“Each year we always have live music featured at our event and it’s always popular so we decided to use this experience to create something different.
“The event is generally held in the grounds at the West Lothian Civic Centre so another benefit this year is that it will also showcase the various memorials from around the county.
“As a committee we had the idea but to make it happen we were lucky enough to get help from Cameron McLean, who lives in Bathgate and has supported our event before.
“Cameron, as well as being a musician and having strong connections with the music industry, also has the skills to make this happen technically.”
Elliot added: “It has been more challenging this year because of the restrictions but with social distancing in place, the lifting of some restrictions and a delivery of disposable foam microphone covers we are now well under way with plans.”
Armed Forces Day West Lothian is now in its eight year but the national event due to take place in Scarborough this year has been rescheduled to 2022.
Armed Forces Day is a chance to show your support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.
There are many ways for people, communities and organisations across the country to show their support and get involved, from attending an event or joining in online to having a garden party or local event.
Provost Tom Kerr said: “West Lothian Council is delighted that we can still celebrate Armed Forces Day in West Lothian.
“It is important to recognise the contribution of the men and women of HM Armed Forces serving both in the UK and across the world.
“They have joined the with key workers across the country to help support public services in the response to the pandemic and form a vital part of our communities. I hope people can join us for this year’s West Lothian Armed Forces Day event to say thank-you and show your continued support.”
Moira Niven MBE, Lord Lieutenant of West Lothian, said: “I am delighted that we can still celebrate Armed Forces Day in West Lothian in spite of the pandemic restrictions.
“While it is not possible for us to physically gather as a community to recognise the contribution of the men and women of HM Armed Forces and Key Workers who are such a vital part of our community, we can meet together in an online event to hear local musicians perform at the war memorials across West Lothian.
“Live music has always been a very popular aspect of our Armed Forces Day in West Lothian and this innovative online community gathering allows us to say thank you and show our support.
“The events of the past year have highlighted again the massive debt that we owe to our Armed Forces and Key Workers as they stepped up to serve our community during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
A live Facebook event has been created for Saturday, June 26 at noon for the first showing on: www. facebook.com/WestLothianAFD
Live music has always been a popular aspect of our Armed Forces Day and this online community gathering allows us to say thank you and show our support