This week I had the honour of planting the Forest of Dean’s cross at the Constituency Garden of Remembrance in the Houses of Parliament. The Garden contains a remembrance tribute representing each of the 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom.
We in the Forest of Dean have a proud military tradition, being the home of 1st Battalion The Rifles, based in Beachley. The Rifles are currently based in Cyprus for a two-year tour acting as a ‘Regional Standby Battalion’, ready to conduct a wide range of short-notice operations, focused on the Middle East and North Africa. I know that all of us in the Forest wish them a safe time whilst they are based there.
This Remembrance Sunday, I will join members of our community at a service in the Forest of Dean to mark this solemn occasion. As ever, I encourage all of my constituents to support the Royal British Legion, which does amazing work in providing lifelong support to serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.