Honour for the veterans (From Swindon Advertiser)

Honour for the veterans

1:02pm Wednesday 16th April 2008 in News By Ben Perrin

VETERANS' Day in Swindon will go with a swing this year - thanks to a cash hand-out.

The Ministry of Defence has given Swindon Council £7,000 towards this year's event in the town.

And, because of that, the festivities will not be confined to a single day.

Veterans' Awareness Week will kick off on June 21 and run until June 29.

It will draw attention to the contribution military veterans have made to the lives we live today.

All events will also project the message that as well as being important to the country's history, veterans still have much to contribute to society through the skills they learned in the Armed Forces.

Erz Turner, a committee and mayoral support officer for the council, said: "The Veteran's community is highly diverse, in background, ethnicity, gender and age.

"Veterans are not just from the First World War and the Second World War eras, but all ex-service personnel are veterans - irrespective of the conditions of service."

A Veterans' Awareness Day will be held at the Steam Museum between 10am and 5pm on Saturday, June 21.

"This will be a fun and informative day for the entire family," said Erz.

"This will include memorabilia, and information displays with personal interaction opportunities."

The timetable of events will be published in the Swindon Advertiser and on the council's website before the event.

During the week a host of other events will be held to acknowledge the contribution the veterans made to society.

A special ceremony, where veterans will be presented with badges, will take place on Thursday, June 26.

A concert will be staged on Friday, June 27, and the Waterloo Band, The Rifles, will provide the entertainment.

They are based at Headington, Oxford, as part of the 7th Rifles.

The day is also the formal Veterans' Day at the Bath Road Methodist Church.

And to round off the events a church service and parade, organised in co-operation with the Royal British Legion, will be held on Sunday, June 29.

Tickets for the concert will be available on application to the mayor's office.

For more information, call the council on 01793 463725.