Burnley soldiers’ homecoming parade: public invite

Soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment 1 Lancs who recently returned from Afghanistan, will march through the town centre after a service at St Peter’s Church.

The parade, on Tuesday, May 21st, will set off from St Peter’s at noon, and people are asked to come out and show their support.

Mayor of Burnley Coun. Charles Bullas said: “This is a rare opportunity to show support for members of our Armed Forces who carry out their duty for Queen and country in often extremely dangerous and difficult circumstances.

“I hope people will come along and watch them march through the centre of Burnley, wave flags, clap, cheer and give them a really warm Lancashire welcome.

“This isn’t just a proud day for Burnley; it’s a proud day for Lancashire and I’m sure people will come from across the county to see the parade. Burnley may be hosting the event but this homecoming occasion is being held here on behalf of the whole of Lancashire.”

The parade, led by the Regimental band, will make its way through the shopping centre to Burnley Town Hall via Hammerton and Hargreaves streets where there will be a brief inspection by the Mayor before a Civic lunch at the Mechanics.

Manchester Road will be closed to traffic to create a public viewing area in front of the town hall.

There will be dedicated viewing areas in St James’s Street for people with mobility difficulties and also in Hargreaves Street for school children.

The main public viewing areas will be in the pedestrianised area and outside the town hall although people can watch all along the march route.

There will be some temporary road closures leading up to and during the event, the roads affected will be re-opened as quickly as possible afterwards.

Diversions will be clearly marked and stewards will be on hand.

Church Street and other town centre streets will be affected.

Bus services through the town centre will be affected during the event so expect some delays.

These will be kept to a minimum and should be relatively short.

Access to town centre shops will be as normal but expect crowds lining the march route.