Public asked to pay respects from home as Shrewsbury Remembrance Sunday plans confirmed
People have been asked to pay their respects from home on Remembrance Sunday after new lockdown measures forced ceremony organisers into rearranging proceedings.
A small wreath laying ceremony will take place at Shrewsbury Quarry on Sunday morning, where mayor Phil Gillam and Daniel Kawczynski MP will be among dignitaries in attendance.
The plan was always to ask people to follow along at home, though the town council had hoped to mark out areas for people to attend in person but keep separate in their social bubbles of up to six. That had to be shelved after Shropshire moved from Tier 1 into full lockdown.
Others in attendance at the war memorial will include Air Vice-Marshal James Warren, the Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire, Peter Nutting, leader of Shropshire Council and representatives of HM Forces including Group Captain Chris Mullen, Station Commander of RAF Shawbury and Heather Francis, President of the Shrewsbury Branch of the Royal British Legion.
A brief act of remembrance shall be led by Mother Yejide Peters from St Chad's Church and RAF Shawbury, Reverend Padre Wing Commander Alastair Bissell, ahead of the Bugler sounding Last Post and a two-minute silence at 11am.
Wreath laying will be restricted to those senior representatives on behalf of the wider community. Any organisations wishing to lay wreaths are asked to do so after the formalities have been concluded and town council staff will ensure they are safely laid around the war memorial.
The public can follow the proceedings on the town council’s website or Facebook feed at shrewsburytowncouncil.gov.uk/ and facebook.com/shrewsburytowncouncil/
Councillor Phil Gillam, Mayor of Shrewsbury said: “We have commemorated Remembrance for over a century and in some ways the sense of loss this year is as ever important.”
North Shropshire MP, Owen Paterson, will be laying a wreath at a simple event at St Mary's Church, in Market Drayton saying there would be no parade. He echoed the need to be mindful of the coronavirus pandemic said people should keep the two minute silence at home.
