The annual remembrance parade in Hove will no longer take place and the wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial is being dropped.
The traditional parade from Hove Town Hall to the war memorial, in Grand Avenue, and then to All Saints Church in The Drive is being replaced by a service at All Saints.
The decision has been made by the Remembrance Committee which is made up of representatives of veterans’ organisations and public bodies.
The committee said: “This year the Hove service will take place in its entirety in All Saints Church.
“This follows a decision by the Remembrance Committee to make the service weatherproof, accessible and more relevant to the community.
“The Remembrance Committee has been considering changes and improvements to the city’s remembrance services.
“We’ve sadly lost quite a number of colleagues and realised things would have to change in order to maintain the dignity and meaning of remembrance.
“We felt that the least disruptive and most achievable change was to lose the parade in Hove in favour of a more inclusive service at All Saints. We hope those taking part will appreciate why.”
Among those attending the service at 2.30pm on Sunday (13 November) will be the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex Peter Field and the Mayor of Brighton and Hove Councillor Pete West.
The committee includes representatives of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA), the Royal Sussex Regimental Association, other local veterans organisations and local faith organisations with support from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council.
In Brighton the traditional parade will take place as usual, with a crisp dry forecast expected to encourage a good turnout from the public.
Serving military personnel, cadets, cubs, scouts and guides will parade their colours alongside veterans, who will lay wreaths in memory of fallen friends at the war memorial in Old Steine at 11am.
The Porslade wreath-laying ceremony will also take place at 11am on Sunday, in Easthill Park, Manor Road.
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The remembrance services in the coming week include
Thursday 10 November 11am – Blessing in the Garden of Remembrance, War Memorial, Old Steine, Brighton.
A short service will be held at the War Memorial in the Old Steine, Brighton, at 11am. Please assemble by 10.50am.
Friday 11 November 11am – Armistice Day two-minute silence
Two minutes’ silence will be observed at the Hove War Memorial, Grand Avenue, Hove, with the Mayor in attendance, and at the War Memorial, in Old Steine, Brighton, with the Deputy Mayor in attendance.
Sunday 13 November 9am – The Royal Sussex Regimental Association Remembrance Service, the Royal Sussex Regiment Memorial, Regency Square, Brighton.
A short service will be held at 9am, please assemble by 8.55am
Sunday 13 November 11am – Brighton Parade and Service, War Memorial, Old Steine, Brighton.
A parade will depart from Madeira Drive towards the Old Steine War Memorial for a service and wreath-laying ceremony beginning at 11am. Please assemble by 10.55am.
Sunday 13 November 11am – Easthill Park Memorial, Manor Road, Portslade.
A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 11am at the Easthill Park memorial. Please assemble by 10.45am.
Sunday 13th November 11am – Hove Cemetery, Old Shoreham Road, Hove.
A short wreath-laying ceremony will take place first at the North Gate Memorial at 11am, followed by the same ceremony at the South Gate Memorial.
Sunday 13 November 2.30pm – All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove.
A full service of remembrance.
Sunday 13 November 4.25pm – Brighton and Hove Branch of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Service.
A service will be held at the Holland Road Synagogue, Hove.
How about the additional reasons, such as the council not willing to pay for the police to manage the parade. This is also worthy of mention, to my knowledge there is no band this year to provide a fitting tribute (especially as it is the anniversary of the Somme, and the day before the southdowns brigade lost so heavily), where is our remeberence of this. As a city, ney as a country our acts of remeberence are pitiful.