Bridges helping city to remember the fallen
A Sunderland shopping centre is playing its part in ensuring traditional acts of remembrance can take place this year, despite the restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the run-up to Armistice Day on Wednesday, November 11, visitors to the city’s Bridges shopping centre can buy poppies from the Royal
British Legion at the Walworth Way mall, near Primark and Bodycare.
Shoppers will also be able to see a Second World War military jeep, which is set to be on display in the same area near Bodycare.
Karen Eve, centre director at the Bridges, said: “Every year, like people and organisations across the UK, we pay our respects to those who have died.
“So many charities are struggling this year caused by soaring demand for support and lost fund-raising income due to the pandemic.
"We want people to know that they can still buy their poppies here and mark the occasion, as they normally would do – in safety.”
On Sunday, November 8 – Remembrance Sunday – the shopping centre will fall silent at 11am for two minutes as a mark of respect for those who have lost their lives in conflict.
Staff and visitors at the appointed time will be asked to stand silence in tribute to those who have died.
Sunderland City Council announced earlier this month that the city’s annual Remembrance Day parade and service would instead be held virtually to ensure residents’ safety.
An online service will be hosted instead on November 8 to allow members of the public to pay their respects. It will include the two-minute silence at 11am.