18 June 2012

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

The parade of the band of the Grenadier Guards will start at King Street at 10.30am and proceed along London Road to the High Street and continue to East Court via College Lane.

As the Band passes the war memorial in the High Street the Salute will be taken by: Mrs Margaret Collins, Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex; Mrs Elizabeth Bennett, East Grinstead Town Mayor; Col Peter Gilbert RAMC; The Hon Nicholas Soames MP and Squadron Leader Graeme Stagg RAF (Ret’d).

The reception party will then follow the band to East Court in a WW2 Staff Car. The parade watchers are asked to keep the road clear and if they choose to follow the parade, they walk along the pavements to East Court for their safety.

The celebration at East Court will include a brief act of remembrance at the war memorial at 11.00am and then after a Fanfare of Trumpets to open the event in the Meridian Hall, followed by some short addresses from the VIPs. The Grenadiers Guards will then play a half hour musical programme on the lower terrace in front of Meridian Hall until 1215.  Around 12.20 the Halsford Park School choir will sing followed by the awards of the veteran’s badges and then refreshments will be served around 1pm.  As larger numbers than normal are expected, the public are asked to please leave the seating and buffet in the Meridian Hall to the Veterans and the Invited Guests, a second buffet for the public will be laid out in the Cranston Suite (entered via the terrace) after 1pm.

The Roads will be closed between 10.00am and 11.30am to allow the parade to pass once the parade is safely on to the East Court Estate the roads will be reopened but this should not be expected before 11.30am.

The road closure is for:

Kings Street (Christopher Road to London Road)	College Lane (High Street to Blackwell Hollow)
London Road (Kings Street to High Street)	Blackwell Hollow (College Lane to Holtye Road)
High Street  (London Road to College Lane)

There will be no access on to these roads during the road closure and while parts of the route may only be closed for 10-15 minutes motorists and residents are asked to be patient and take advice from the stewards.  The presence of the Guards is a great honour for the town and underlines the importance of remembering all past and present serving personnel on Armed Forces Day.

East Court has limited parking and while the event organisers have asked that the estate be left open, there will be restricted car parking for invited guests and disabled.  If the general public could walk or park in the town centre car parks this would be appreciated.