Time for town to honour armed forces

HINCKLEY town centre will come to a halt as people gather for the annual parade to honour the country’s servicemen and women

Armed Forces Day celebrations take place on Saturday June 25 with the procession starting at 11am following a short service at Argents Mead.

The event is run by the Hinckley and District branch of the Royal British Legion in partnership with Hinckley Combined Ex-service Association, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and St Mary’s Church.

It will include representatives of regiments, sections and services including Hinckley’s cadet forces.

The parade will require rolling closures of Argents Mead, Church Walk, Market Place, The Borough, Regent Street, The Horsefair and Station Road. Diversion routes will be signed on site.

One of the participants will be British Legion standard bearer Roger Burrows, who is also an organiser of Hinckley’s annual Poppy Appeal, and has taken part every year.

He said the event is going from strength to strength: “It’s a lot better publicised than it was when it first started but it has always been very well supported by the public and is continuing to grow.

“Armed Forces Day is very important.

“It’s not just about remembering those who lost their lives serving their country, it’s also about the living who are out their fighting for us.”

Hinckley’s Armed Forces Day parade was established eight years ago to give communities the chance to say thank-you and show their support to serving and ex forces personnel.