Plymouth gets ready to celebrate Armed Forces Day

Plymouth will be celebrating Armed Forces Day on 28 June 2014 showing it’s gratitude for the work of the Armed Forces.

The aim of the event is to raise awareness of and support our Armed Forces community and celebrate the outstanding contribution the Forces make to our country.

The event, organised by Plymouth City Council in partnership with the Tri-Services and key partners including Destination Plymouth, will take place on Plymouth Hoe from 10am to 5pm and is sponsored by Babcock International Group, the UK's leading engineering support services company.

Babcock Managing Director Naval Bases, Phil Jones said: "We are very proud to sponsor the 2014 Armed Forces Day event in Plymouth. Babcock has a long established working relationship with all three armed forces and we are delighted to be associated with this great celebration of the work and commitment of our serving men and women."

The programme for the day will feature land, sea and air displays from current personnel, veterans, cadet forces, support agencies, the emergency services and charities. There will also be military villages hosted by the Royal Navy, Army, RAF, Cadets and Veterans as well as a children’s play area, a Plymouth Youth Music service stage and a main stage entertainment programme running until 10.30pm featuring a range of acts including the Military Wives Choir and Company ‘B’.

The Air Show sponsored by UTC (United Technologies Corporation), will feature a diverse range of aircraft and will feature the Royal Navy Raiders Parachute Display team. The Raiders are the only, and official, parachute display team of the Royal Navy.  Founded in 1983, the Team’s members are drawn from volunteers from across the Naval Service – from ships, submarines, the Royal Marines and the Fleet Air Arm.  All have a full-time job aside from parachuting and all have to have a minimum of 200 jumps before display qualifying (or re-qualifying) each April.  Typically leaving the aircraft at 5,000 feet, the team will fly a “loose stack” landing on The Hoe, using smoke and flying underslung flags.

The Veterans Village sponsored by DDRC Healthcare is made up of over 45 charities and organisations that support service personnel and their families. DDRC Healthcare is a UK registered charity, specialising in diving and hyperbaric medicine, based at the Hyperbaric Medical Centre, Plymouth and regular work with injured service personnel.

C and G Catering are sponsoring the evening main music stage. Currently a diverse evening of music is being planned featuring a range of acts from The Vibes to Joey & The Lips amongst others.

Cross Country Trains are our media partner for Armed Forces Day.  Cross Country is part of the Arriva group, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn. Arriva is a leading pan-European public transport operator with more than 42,000 employees and operations across 12 European countries.

In the week leading up to Armed Forces Day there will be a flag raising ceremony to launch the week which will take place in front of the Guildhall on Monday 23 June at 10am. The ceremony will be followed by a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor where veteran’s badges will be presented to nominated candidates.

Deputy Council Leader Peter Smith said: “Plymouth is immensely proud of its long naval and military history and we look forward to once again honouring our service men and women by coming together to celebrate Armed Forces Day. The event is a fantastic showcase for the city and we are pleased to be working with such great sponsors.”