Stockton to mark Armed Forces Day this weekend with packed programme of events and exhibitions
A Battle of Britain memorial flight features in the celebrations on Saturday, June 21
Armed Forces Day takes place on the opening day of the new Stockton Waterfront urban park(Image: Stockton Council)
A packed programme of entertainment and activities will mark Armed Forces Day in Stockton, along with tributes to past and present heroes. Set in the surroundings of the new Stockton Waterfront Urban Park and the Riverside, the event on Saturday, June 21, will feature live music and performances from traditional brass bands to community choirs.
Displays of military vehicles will be on show with a dramatic RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight set to take place in the early evening.
From 10am, a thanksgiving service will be held, followed by a speech from the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Michael Poole, alongside Stockton’s Mayors, a Salvation Army Band and a bugler. Thornaby folk band Cattle and Cane will join the celebration to premiere ‘Our Place’ – a bespoke musical piece and performance, created with six local schools.
There will also be drill exhibitions and displays from the cadet forces while a People’s Wall offers visitors the chance to add their own contributions and share their stories. On the Oval Lawn, a display of clay sculptures by over 1,000 school children from across the borough will be on view.
Led by Yarm School in collaboration with artist Mackenzie Thorpe, the display is over a year in the making. At Finkle Square and Finkle Garden there will be participation events, including a tea dance, led by Urban Kaos and Jennifer Essex, at 10.45am, 12.30pm and 2.15pm.
Craft workshops by PEG Creations will allow visitors to create origami planes representing the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft. Poets Carmen Marcus and Bob Beagie will lead workshops while Adam Bligh will hold an activity mapping where the borough’s veterans have served across the world.
The Stockton Waterfront Urban Park, will open on Armed Forces Day – Saturday, June 20(Image: Stuart Boulton/Stockton Council)
Bird’s eye view of the urban park(Image: Chapman Brown Photography/Stockton Council)
At the main play area – Timber Towers – there will be Adam Blake’s Adventure Walks (11.30am and 1.30pm), street theatre and performances. Meanwhile on the Riverside, visitors can enjoy a funfair with rides, stalls, and a 22-metre-high Ferris Wheel.
In addition there will be a flotilla on the River Tees at 12noon and Darryl Carrington’s comedy circus show ‘Tennish’ at 11.30am, 1.pm and 2.30pm. Cadet forces will take part in a competitive rowing race on the river and there will be a water rescue demonstration by Stockton Sea Cadets at 4.30pm. A flurry of fireworks is set to bring the celebrations to a close at 7.30pm.
Leader of Stockton Council, and the borough’s Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Lisa Evans, said: “Armed Forces Day is a great opportunity for the people of the Borough to join us in honouring all the brave men and women currently serving our country, and this year’s event in Stockton is set to be extremely popular. We’re expecting thousands of people to head to the town to show their support for our armed forces past and present, and I truly can’t think of a better event to launch the fantastic new Waterfront urban park – so make sure to come along for what promises to be a wonderful day.”
The fun will continue on Sunday, June 1, at Finkle Square, with community activities and pop-up performances and buskers, as well as the fun fair on the Riverside and group-led walks and silent disco fitness sessions. For more information on the Armed Forces Day celebrations, including a full schedule of events.
Click on Visit Tees Valley and follow Stockton Council ‘s social media channels for updates.
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