On Sunday, over 400 people gathered at this year’s Remembrance Day service which took place at Victoria Park to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.
It was Leicester’s first full Remembrance Day service since 2019, after last year’s was scaled down due to covid-19 restrictions. This year, only small adjustments had been made with the service being slightly shortened and the route of the parade changed to ensure the safety of attendees.
During the service, military leaders, official dignitaries and representatives from different faiths gathered to pay their respects and to lay wreaths at Edwin Lutyens’ Arch of Remembrance in the park.
The service began on the morning of 14 November 2021 and at 11am, the audience took part in a two-minute silence to remember the lives lost.
Reverend Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester who was in attendance, said: “I think it’s important that we keep these traditions going. This is about bringing together the communities of Leicester to show our common unity, our common humanity, our shared horror of war and to stand together for peace.”
Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, Fayyaz Suleman, said: “All communities remember and all communities are respecting the sacrifices that were given.
“Laying a wreath today was important because it was something that I, as the leader of the faith communities from the council of faiths, want to show that I respect the lives that are lost, respect the sacrifices that have been made and remember and be together in laying the wreath which is a mark of remembrance for everybody”.
By Gita Sarasia
