THURROCK Council’s annual event to commemorate the British Armed Forces took place on Monday 20 June in a sombre and rainy ceremony outside the Civic Offices in Grays.
Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr Cathy Kent, spoke at the event, along with Cllr Rob Gledhill, and Jackie Doyle-Price MP.
Armed Forces veterans, council directors and local residents were greeted by traditional bagpipe players as they braved the rain to pay their respects to service men and women past, present and future.
Cllr Kent welcomed all that attended the event and spoke of the importance of the whole Armed Forces community: “It is not just serving personnel who we pay tribute to on Armed Forces Day, but the wider forces community; service families, and veterans of all ages, the cadet forces, and the adult volunteers who support them.”
Cllr Gledhill added: “Today is just one day that we can show our thanks, but we should spend time each day thinking about what they do for us and the peace they give us by keeping harm away from our shores.”
Jackie Doyle-Price MP spoke with great sentiment of the passing of MP Jo Cox last week.
She said: “We also remember Jo Cox this morning and support the political values that she ran her political life by. She wanted to do the right thing, she had faith in humanity and as we all come together to remember those who give service to our country we must make sure that those same values are at the heart of everything we do.”
Thurrock Council would like to thank everyone that braved the weather to attend the event and pay their respects.
For information on how Thurrock Council supports armed services personnel, including Thurrock’s Veteran Charter, go to thurrock.gov.uk/armed-forces
