Royal Navy 'thrilled' with Armed Forces Day National Event in Scarborough
The Borough Council's leader has described the event as a "triumph for everyone"
Scarborough Council’s leader has described June’s national Armed Forces Day event as a “triumph for everyone”, adding that the Royal Navy was “thrilled” by how the event went.
Speaking at the full meeting of Scarborough Council, Council Leader, Cllr Steve Siddons said: “I’ll echo the mayor’s words in that everyone involved in, it and everyone who took part had a great time.”
The national Armed Forces day took place in Scarborough on 25 June, with ministers and members of the royal household taking part alongside serving and former service personnel.
At the meeting of the council on 4 July, Cllr Siddons added: “It really paid compliment to the work this council does and the people who work for it.
“I know in discussions with our naval colleagues who led the event that they were absolutely thrilled with the work that was done and everything that took place”.
He also said the council needed to “take advantage” of the publicity Scarborough had received following the event.
The national Armed Forces Day took place in Scarborough following a week of celebrations and events across various towns including Whitby and Filey.
Despite disruptions to public transport caused by rail strikes taking place during Armed Forces Day, thousands of people gathered in Scarborough to see Royal Air Force flyovers and Royal Navy manoeuvres.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service before the event, Scarborough Council’s armed forces champion, Cllr Tony Randerson said that in addition to working closely with Ministry of Defence colleagues to organise the event, he also wanted to focus on helping veterans in the borough.
Cllr Randerson said: “Any veterans that we’ve got in the borough that come along and need help or assistance with various issues can come to me, not just on the day but 365 days a year.”
At the council meeting on 4 July, Cllr Randerson also paid tribute to the council’s street cleaning teams who had worked “from midnight until about six in the morning” to make the town “absolutely spotless”.
Scarborough Council’s Mayor, Cllr Eric Broadbent also praised the work that had gone into making the event a reality.
He added that he and the Mayoress were “honoured to represent the Mayoralty on 20 June 2022 when the Armed Forces Day Flag was raised above the Town Hall to mark the beginning of the Armed Forces Day National Events week”.
Bids are currently open to host the 2023 Armed Forces Day national event, with the organiser promised a grant of £25,000.