This in from the council, in their own words, Ed
The Isle of Wight will show its support for the armed forces at a ceremony in St Thomas’ Square, Newport later this morning at 10am (Monday 24 June).
The Armed Forces Day flag will be raised in front of representatives of the armed forces, veterans, community leaders and members of the public. The flag raising ceremony is part of the Fly the Flag campaign, which enables communities to show their support for their military community, both serving and retired.
Isle of Wight Community Covenant
After the ceremony, conducted by Reverend Kevin Arkell, there will be the official signing of the Isle of Wight Community Covenant. The covenant has been developed by local people as a voluntary pledge of mutual support between a civilian community and its local armed forces community.
The covenant is designed to make it easier for service personnel, their families and veterans to access help and support from the Ministry of Defence, statutory providers and charitable and voluntary organisations on the Island.
Councillor Ian Ward, chairman of the Isle of Wight Council, said:
“The flag raising ceremony is about recognising the work of our armed forces and showing the Island’s support for the military community, both serving and retired. We are delighted to be able to officially sign the covenant which shows the Island’s commitment to making our community a welcoming place for members of the armed forces and their families.”
Last year the Flag Raising Ceremony was moved to St Thomas’ Square from County Hall, to make it more accessible for people to attend the ceremony.
The specially commissioned Armed Forces Day flag will be moved from the square after the ceremony and flown from one of the permanent flag poles on the roof of County Hall.
Armed Forces Day is a national event to celebrate the work of the armed forces. This year it takes place on Saturday 29 June. Here on the Island, Armed Forces Day is being celebrated at two events. Appley park and beach hosted an event on Saturday 22 June and Cowes will play host to celebrations in the town and on the esplanade on Sunday 30 June.
Image: Ree Saunders under CC BY 2.0
