10,000 People Expected to Visit for Armed Forces Day

Beverley’s Armed Forces Day chairman predicts even bigger crowds and an even more entertaining day than last year as the town prepares to honour the country’s servicemen and women.

Beverley Town councillor David Elvidge, last year’s Mayor of Beverley, is busy putting the finishing touches to this year’s Armed Forces Day, which takes place on Sunday 4th July.

Last year around 10,000 people poured into the town to salute the efforts and sacrifices of the armed forces on a memorable day where the people of East Yorkshire showed just how much they appreciated the difficult work being undertaken across the world.

Councillor Elvidge is proud of Beverley’s links with the armed forces and their show of solidarity, and expects this year’s event to once again re-affirm the townspeople’s gratitude to their serving men and women.

He told HU17.net: “I think people in the town have a real strong feeling that they want to show their support and solidarity.

“Maybe they don’t support the war, but they support those members of the armed forces who do a difficult job in very difficult circumstances and they feel for the relatives who are left at home.

“The people I have spoken to directly are proud of our armed forces. It is not just about what they are doing now, it is about what they will have to do in the future and what they have done in the past.

“My only slight concern is that we get more people here than last year. Beverley is restricted in some ways by its size but last year we had 10,000 people here and they were able to move around the town.

“If it is more this year I am sure we will cope but it may prove difficult to move from one end of the town to the other.”

The event has proved to be a triumph of co-operation between the Beverley Town Council, many volunteers from the town and the soldiers and staff at the Army School of Transport at Leconfield.

It is part funded by Beverley Town Council, which has matched £9,000 of Ministry of Defence funding, but councillor Elvidge has acknowledged that without the help of all concerned, the event could not take place.

He continued: “Beverley Town Council is not the biggest council, but we have so many willing volunteers and it is difficult sometimes to thank everyone for their efforts, but it’s an old cliche that no man is an island and you can’t do things on your own.

“We work so hard together, it is a real community event.

“This year, for example,the East Riding of Yorkshire Council has a mobile sweeper going up and down keeping the place clean and there will be a squad coming down from Leconfield litter picking and they will throw everything into bags and into the sweeper.

“I am so proud we can host this event.”

The highlight of the day will, of course, be a parade through the town of a large number of serving men and women, with many veterans from all conflicts taking part.

It is expected that all the East Yorkshire Royal British Legion sections will parade with their banners, while the Army Cadets, Air Training Corps and Sea Cadets – and hopefully the Beverley TA – will also take part in the parade. Bands will accompany the parade.

As part of the entertainment, personnel from Leconfield will be available to paint children’s faces in camouflage, there will be a mini assault course and the local army cadets will be demonstrating what they do.

Councillor Elvidge is also hoping the local Territorials – a heavy weapons platoon – will be able to bring some of their mortars and heavy machine guns into the town.

The main focal point – and expense – of the day will be a totally re-vamped main stage, located right in the centre of town, with professional technicians to make it a proper focal point for the celebrations as the day progresses.

While the day will honour servicemen and women from across the country, councillor Elvidge, who will also be promoting the Heroes Welcome campaign, is delighted that local members of the armed forces will be very much involved in the parade.

He said: “In my last conversations with the chief of staff and RSM at Leconfield, they said the first people given the chance to take part in this parade will be local people.

“We want to see our local soldiers here, to give people a chance to see what they do and to parade in front of their family and friends.

“The chief of staff at Leconfield is happy with the way the armed forces are dealt with in Beverley and he is more than happy to work with us for the event as he feels it is very professionally organised and puts the armed forces in a very good light.

“They see it as a positive thing, as a chance to engage and talk to local people.

“It’s a proud day for the town. You don’t have to support the current conflicts, but it will be a great day for local people and visitors in what is after all the best town in the East Riding.”