Princess of Wales Regiment in Crawley High Street - June 2011 |
"This coming
Saturday the 28th June is Armed Forces Day. Across the UK, events will be taking place to
mark the day with the national event taking place in Stirling. Formally known
as Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day is increasingly becoming a fixture of
British life that unites the nation.
The reasons
why Armed Forces Day was established are very laudable. It is absolutely right to
help raise public awareness of the invaluable contribution made to our country,
both by those who currently serve and those who have previously served in Her
Majesty's Armed Forces. I also very much welcome the opportunity for the nation
to be able to show support for the men and women who make up our Armed Forces
community.
Here in
Crawley, our own event will be in Queens Square on Saturday from 10am until
12.30pm. There will be displays and demonstrations from cadets, serving troops
and from veterans. There are also going to be activities such as a climbing
wall, obstacle course and camouflage face painting. I very much look forward to
attending.
The last few
years have seen a strengthening of Crawley’s links with the Armed Forces. Three
years ago this month, I was pleased to attend the homecoming march through the
town centre of 250 soldiers from The Princess of Wales Regiment who had
recently returned from Afghanistan.
At Crawley
Borough Council, we ensured that members of the Armed Forces, whose work takes
them out of the area, are not disadvantaged by local connection rules governing
the allocation of social housing. Last year, we followed on from West Sussex
County Council in 2012, in signing the Armed Forces Community Covenant, which
encourages support for the Armed Forces Community who work and reside in
Crawley. For both Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council, it
presents an opportunity to bring knowledge, experience and expertise to bear on
the provision of help, advice and services to members of our Armed Forces
Community when they need it - a community who is always there when their
country needs them."
No comments:
Post a Comment