People from across Leicester will remember the city’s fallen service men and women at the annual Remembrance Sunday service this weekend.
Watch our video of this year’s event 2024
The city’s service of remembrance will take place at the war memorial in Victoria Park on Sunday (10 November).
A parade, led by the Seaforth Highlanders Pipes and Drums and comprising members of the Armed Forces, reservists, veterans and cadets, will step off from De Montfort Hall at around 10.40am and make its way to the Arch of Remembrance, ready for the service at 10.55am.
The Lord Bishop of Leicester, the Right Reverend Martyn Snow, will conduct the service with support from former BBC Radio Leicester presenter, Dave Andrews.
A bugler will sound the Last Post before the firing of salutes marks the beginning and the end of the two-minute silence. A piper from the Seaforth Highlanders will play a lament before the service continues.
People in the area are advised that the salutes will create a loud bang, which may cause alarm or distress, particularly to young children or pets.
Official wreaths will be laid by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Colonel Murray Colville, and The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Bhupen Dave, together with representatives of local emergency services, military units and faith communities.
Other organisations and veterans’ associations will lay wreaths immediately after the official wreath laying, while members of the public will have an opportunity to lay their wreaths at the end of the service.
The Salvation Army band will accompany hymns, supported by the City of Leicester Singers and the Leicester Cathedral Choir.
Limited public seating will be available on a first come, first served basis and there will be a designated seating area for those with a disability or who are unable to stand for long periods.
A returning parade will step off through the War Memorial and back onto Centenary Walk at the end of the service, returning to the front of De Montfort Hall at around 11.45am.
Granville Road car park will be closed from midnight on Saturday, 9 November until around 1pm on Sunday, November 10, and vehicles should not be left overnight in the car park.
A limited number of spaces for disabled guests and blue badge holders will be available in the car park, which will be accessible from London Road only.
These must be requested in advance by emailing lord.mayor@leicester.gov.uk or by calling 0116 454 0020.
Road closures will be in operation on both Granville Road and Regent Road from 9.30am until 12.30pm on Sunday. Access will be maintained for residents of Salisbury Road.
The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Bhupen Dave, said: “Remembrance Day is a time for reflection and contemplation on the sacrifice made by the men and women of our armed forces in defence of their country and allows us to come together to remember all those whose lives have been lost in armed conflict.
“I am humbled to be able to lay a wreath commemorating them on behalf of the people of Leicester.”
The following day, Monday 11 November, is Remembrance Day, when the nation pauses at 11am to reflect on the sacrifices made by the country’s service men and women.
Held each year on 11 November, the silence coincides with the time in 1918 when the First World War came to an end.
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