Programme of Events for Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day
The National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield, which comprises 150 acres of trees and memorials, including the striking Armed Forces Memorial, has confirmed its programme of events for Remembrance Sunday (9 November) and Armistice Day (11 November). It is anticipated that up to 20,000 people will visit the Arboretum during the remembrance period.
Remembrance Sunday will offer the chance for families, friends and other visitors to pay personal tribute to those that have lost their lives in the service of the country. Services of remembrance are scheduled for both 10.45am and 2.15pm, giving people who wish to attend other remembrance events in towns and villages across the country the chance to do so.
The gates will open at 9am, and given the large number of visitors anticipated, an overflow park and ride scheme, costing £2, will operate from nearby Catton Hall once the Arboretum car park is full. Both services will take place in front of the Armed Forces Memorial.
A sunset recital, performed by West Midlands Police Brass Band and Drums, will take place at 3.30pm on Millennium Avenue.
On Armistice Day, the day which signalled the end of the First World War, the Arboretum will be playing a key role in national commemorations for its 90th anniversary. The site will be open to the public all day, and a ticket-only service, at which all of the services are to be represented, will take place within the Armed Forces Memorial. It should be noted that general access to the Memorial will not be possible until 12:30pm.
The day’s events will commence at 10.00am with well known tunes of the WW1 era being performed by the Band of HM Royal Marines, Plymouth. Standards will be paraded at 10.20am, by which time all ticketed guests should be seated.
The service will be led by former Bishop to the Armed Forces, The Right Reverend John Kirkham, The Reverend Monsignor Paul Donovan QHC VG Royal Navy and Honorary Chaplain to the Arboretum, The Reverend Simon Lumby. Proceedings will be relayed on screen to members of the public in the Arboretum’s Leonard Cheshire Amphitheatre.
At precisely the eleventh hour, and signalling the two minute silence, a shaft of sunlight will fall from the slot cut into the walls of the Armed Forces Memorial and will strike its central plinth. A flypast in acknowledgement of the 90th anniversary of the Royal Air Force will then take place.
Tickets will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications for up to four tickets should be made in writing to the Arboretum, including full name, maiden name (if appropriate), date of birth, current home address and telephone number for each prospective ticket holder. A form can be downloaded from the events section at www.thenma.org.uk. Successful applicants will receive confirmation and instructions by Friday, 31st October.
A park and ride scheme for all ticketed guests and members of the public will operate from Catton Hall at a cost of £2. A limited number of spaces will be available for Blue Badge holders at the National Memorial Arboretum.
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