Bury St Edmunds: Troop Homecoming

30th June 2012, 00:00

Bury St Edmunds will mark Armed Forces Day today with a mixture of marching, music and free family entertainment.

The day of celebration begins at 11am on the Angel Hill with a homecoming parade for 11 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, based at Honington. The parade will be a chance to welcome back troops after their recent deployment in Afghanistan and see them presented with their medals.

The soldiers will march under the Abbey Gate and then up Abbeygate Street and through the town centre to the arc before returning to the Angel Hill, led by an RAF band.

The Abbey Gardens open at 12.15pm for an afternoon of live music and entertainment, including a concert from the Wattisham Military Wives Choir.

Several members of the choir helped to recorded ‘Sing’, the official song of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee which topped the charts, and sang at the Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace earlier in the month.

The afternoon is also filled with entertainment including big bandmusic from the County Upper School Swing Band, songs from the 1940s by Stagecoach Theatre Arts School and demonstrations including a field gun challenge from the Air Training Corps.

At 4.30pm the Armed Forces Day flag will be lowered on Angel Hill and presented to the Royal Anglian Regiment by the Mayor.

Visitors in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday will also have the chance to visit the provisions market which has offers and special events to encourage people to support local markets.

As well as all of that, on Saturday evening there is an Armed Forces Day Concert in support of Help for Heroes in the Abbey Gardens featuring The Red Mock Chili Peppers. Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Centre (01284 764667) or Six Whiting Street menswear.