Children will design ‘thank you’ posters for Wakefield’s Armed Forces Day

The Rifles exercise the Freedom by marching through the City.

Schoolchildren have been invited to make ‘thank you’ posters to support serving and veteran members of the Armed Forces.

Local primary schools will enter a poster competition, and the winners will be announced at Nostell Priory’s Armed Forces Day celebrations on Saturday, June 29.

The free event will be the biggest of its kind to be hosted in the district.

And it will feature a marching band, Spitfire static display, a farmers market, police dogs and horse display, a craft fair, Red Devils parachute display, wood carving display.

Coun Sandra Pickin, local Royal British Legion branch member and Wakefield Council’s Armed Forces Champion said: “The Armed Forces do a really hard job. We have seen eight soldiers from this district die in Afghanistan since 2009 and many more injured.

“This is the biggest event we have ever organised in the district for Armed Forces Day and comes at the end of national Armed Forces Week. It will be a public show of respect for what they do and what they sacrifice, some of them paying the ultimate price for fighting for their country.

“We hope that as many people as possible will come to the event to show their support as we honour Britain’s Armed Forces, past, present and future.” The event will run from 10am until 4pm.