The Armed Forces Day flag is flying proudly at County Hall following a ceremony held on Monday to show support for all our service personnel ahead of the national Armed Forces Day on Saturday.
Armed Forces Day honours the huge contribution made by current and former members of the armed forces, their families, reservists and adult cadet volunteers, and is always well supported by the county council.
The Armed Forces Day flag was raised at County Hall on Monday 22 June by David Gibbs, who served in the Army as a Royal Military Police officer for 22 years.
The annual ceremony, which took place at the Stand Easy memorial, included a welcome by Leicestershire County Council Chairman, Councillor Linda Danks, and an address by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE CStJ.
Guests at the flag raising included current members of the armed forces, veterans, cadets and representatives from the Royal British Legion. Pupils from the Hall Primary School in Glenfield also took part, with the reading of the poem Victory Bells by Graze Hazard Conkling.
The ceremony concluded with prayers led by Reverend David Hover and the singing of the National Anthem.
The Armed Forces Day flag will continue to fly at County Hall until after the national Armed Forces Day on Saturday, 27 June, which will be marked by a parade through Leicester city centre, starting from the Clock Tower at 11am.
The parade will pass along High Street to Jubilee Square for an open-air Drumhead Service at 11.20am. It will be made up of local veterans, cadets and reservists, serving members of the Armed Forces and the Pipes and Drums of the Seaforth Highlanders. Enderby Band will be playing as part of the Drumhead Service.
The event is open to all, and members of the public are very welcome to attend.