Flag raising ceremony marks forces fun

The ceremony in St Annes on Monday involved apresentation of the Armed Forces Flag by Lady Shuttleworth, wife of Lancashire’s Lord Lieutenant, to Coun Peter Hardy, Fylde mayor.

The flag was raised to the sound of a bugle, before a mayoral reception at which six veterans were presented with Veteran’s Badges.

The event, organised by Veterans for Fylde with support from BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defence, will culminate in a family day, involving a battle display, a vehicle-pull race, a band concert and parades at Ashton Gardens, St Annes, on Sunday.

Coun Ed Nash, one of the organisers and formerly the council’s Armed Forces Champion, said: “People in Fylde have historically had close connections to the military and those ties remain strong today.”