Morecambe Town Council has awarded a grant of £11,000 in support of Morecambe and Lancaster Armed Forces Day 2024.
The free, all-day event – which sees the community gather to show their support for serving personnel, reservists, service families, veterans and cadets – will take place on 22 June this year, with exhibits, displays, parades and more on, around, and above Morecambe Promenade. As in 2023, the day will also celebrate the vital work of the ‘blue light’ emergency services.
As the event’s headline sponsor, a significant portion of the funding awarded by Morecambe Town Council is earmarked to secure the displays from the iconic Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the RAF Falcons – the nation’s premier parachute display team. A full display from the Lancaster, which is normally reserved for major UK airshows, represents a particularly significant coup for the event organisers and is expected to draw in huge crowds.
Margaret Pattison, Chair of Morecambe Town Council’s Festivals, Sponsorships, and Events Committee, said ‘Some of the key things we consider when making grant awards to major festivals and events are their ability to attract crowds, boost the local economy, and show the town off in its very best light. With that in mind, the Council couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to help the Armed Forces Day team bring the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and RAF Falcons to Morecambe.
‘It will be truly memorable to see this legendary aircraft flying over its namesake city and you couldn’t ask for a better backdrop for both displays than the natural amphitheatre of Morecambe Bay. We are proud to enable the Armed Forces Day team to deliver this fantastic experience and can’t think of a more fitting way for the town to show its appreciation for our past, present, and future service personnel and their families.’
Commander Tim Roberts Royal Navy (Rtd), a member of the Morecambe and Lancaster Armed Forces Day 2024 Committee, said in receiving the grant, ‘This is a most generous grant from a Town Council that also lends one of the most stunning vistas in the UK to support Armed Forces Day celebrations. Morecambe Town Council’s sponsorship and cooperation over many years has been extraordinary and I know that our serving, reservists and retired soldiers, sailors, airmen and their families, are made extremely proud of the communities and people that support these celebrations.’
The full schedule of events for Morecambe and Lancaster Armed Forces Day 2024 is to be announced. Follow the event Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/MorecambeArmedForcesDay