UK communities encouraged to hold Armed Forces Day events

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Photo: Jan Harwood

The Fusiliers at the Town Hall.

Communities across the UK are invited to apply for funding to host events to celebrate this year's Armed Forces Day on 29 June.

Armed Forces Day has been marked annually with events large and small across the UK, and this year the national event will be held in the city of Nottingham.

Last year more than 200 events took place, many of which were made possible through funding from MOD, including tea parties, parades, big band concerts, civil war military re-enactments and live and static demonstrations, all designed to attract people to come along and show their support for the men and women of the Armed Forces.

If you are a council, organisation or a member of a local community you can apply for funding from MOD to host an event, large or small. A maximum of £10,000 is available per application, providing that MOD funding accounts for no more than 50 per cent of the total cost; numerous bids for a few hundred pounds are granted each year to assist smaller events.

Anyone interested in applying for funding must submit an application by 29 March 2013.
A Royal Marines band at the Armed Forces Day national event in Plymouth last year [Picture: Senior Aircraftman Ben Tritta, Crown copyright]Rear Admiral Simon Williams, Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel & Training) and Defence Services Secretary, said: “If you are planning to host an Armed Forces Day event, the Ministry of Defence is once again able to offer financial assistance, enabling you and your community to celebrate the oustanding work of our servicemen and women through a truly memorable occasion. I encourage anyone who is interested in funding for their event to apply by 29 March.”

Councillor Alex Baxter was part of the north-east Lincolnshire team who successfully applied for funding to help mount celebrations in June 2012. He said: “With the help of MOD funding we were able to hold a truly spectacular Armed Forces Day celebration over 2 days, attracting 35,000 people. We planned an exciting programme for young and old, including an air show, a parade, and military displays, followed by live entertainment with fireworks.”

“Given the success of the day, we have already applied for funding for 2013, and would urge other communities to do the same.”

To find out how to apply for funding, visit www.armedforcesday.org.uk or contact the Ceremonial Events and Commemorative Team at PersTrg-DSSec-CECTMailbox@mod.uk  telephone: 020 7807 0970. The website also contains ideas to help get the most out of your local event.