Veterans given opportunity to receive recognition badge during national event
Birmingham City Council is today launching its National Veterans Day campaign to get Veterans and members of the public involved in the flagship event which will honour those people who served in the forces.
The city will be hosting the national Veterans Day celebrations across five days from 27th June to 1st July and it is likely to attract more than 100,000 visitors. Events will include a tea dance, dinner dance, memorabilia shows, the Big Pipe Band Championships and a whole host of entertainment as well as a Veteran’s Badge presentation.
Veterans are being invited to apply to be one of 100 who will receive their Veterans Badge during a ceremony which will be held on 27th June, National Veterans Day. The badges, designed to recognise the bravery, courage and sacrifice of those who served in the World Wars and more recently the Falklands and Northern Ireland,
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Mike Sharpe, was presented with his Veterans Lapel Badge recently by Major General Andrew Farquhar CBE, General Officer Commanding the Army's 5th Division, for his service in the Armed Forces in Northern Ireland from 1970 to 1976.
Anyone who enrolled in HM Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy up to 31st December 1984 is eligible for a badge as the MOD has recently extended the time frame to include those who served in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham said: “It was an honour for me to be presented with my badge and I would urge other veterans to come forward to receive theirs too during the national event. It is fantastic that Birmingham was chosen out of whole of the UK to host the event to commemorate the courage of thousands of men and women during service for their country.”
If you would like to receive your Veterans Badge on Veterans Day, 27th June please write in to The Lord Mayor’s Parlour, Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BB with your name, rank, serial number, address and telephone number. Or alternatively you can call 0121 303 1999 with the above information.
All other veterans who would like to be issued with a badge but not on Veterans Day can either ring the freephone helpline 0800 169 2277 or download an application form from www.veterans-uk.info.
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