Sun Shines on Armed Forces Day Return

THE sun shone as brightly as a pair of well-polished army boots as almost 3,000 people welcomed the return of Armed Forces Day in Tameside.

Victoria Park, Denton, looked beautiful in the warm summer weather as families enjoyed the borough’s annual celebration of service personnel past, present and future.

Proceedings started in the morning when the Civic Mayor, Cllr Mike Glover, hosted a lunch where he and Cllr Vincent Ricci, Tameside Council’s armed forces champion, thanked personnel directly.

From 1pm, the focus moved to the park bandstand where there was live music from the Dave Egerton Band and singer Jo Farrow.

Free family-friendly activities ranged from arts and crafts to physical challenges, and many support organisations were in attendance, including Tameside Armed Services Community, offering help and advice to serving and former members of the forces.

Staff from Tameside Local Studies and Tameside Museums were on hand to assist with questions about military history and genealogy. Members of the reserve and cadet forces were also present.

Cllr Ricci said: “Judging by the size of the crowds in Victoria Park, Armed Forces Day has clearly been missed since it last took place in 2019. I would like to thank the many hundreds of people who joined us to show their support for our armed forces. It was good to see them enjoying themselves.

“I think anyone who was there would agree with me that it was a splendid afternoon and made even better by the sunny summer weather. It was a fitting tribute to Tameside’s armed services personnel and I was proud to be part of it.”