CORNWALL is getting ready to celebrate Armed Forces Day, with 200 events taking place across the United Kingdom this weekend.

The Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall At War Museum in Tintagel has a whole weekend of events on June 28 and 29 with re-enactments and historic military vehicles.

Veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces will also gather at the castle ground for 9.15am before the raising of the flag at 9.30am. Members will then go to Edymead Hall for 10am where there will be a ‘Charity Blind Auction’ to celebrate Armed Forces Day.

The Ministry of Defence has provided grants of up to £10,000 to local authorities and charities in Cornwall to hold Armed Forces Day events in their communities.

Cornwall is a vital region for the UK Armed Forces. HMS Raleigh, near Torpoint, is the Royal Navy’s largest training establishment in the South West.

Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose near Helston is one of Europe’s largest helicopter bases. It’s home to the Fleet Air Arm’s Merlin helicopters and employs around 3,000 people, contributing an estimated £100-million annually to the local economy.

RAF St Mawgan, near Newquay, supports various units and training and the Remote Radar Head Porteath is a vital air defence radar site for the UK.

Shooting ranges in Penhale Camp and Tregantle provide training facilities for the UK Armed Forces.

Defence secretary John Healey MP, said: “On Armed Forces Day the nation unites to thank our Armed Forces: our service personnel, our reservists, our veterans and our cadets. This is the day we celebrate all they do – in ordinary and extraordinary ways – to make Britain secure at home, and strong abroad.

“We’re matching our words with actions, committing an extra £1.5-billion to fix forces family housing this parliament, the largest pay rise in over 20 years for personnel, and bringing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. Our government’s Plan for Change is renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve.”

The town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire will host this year’s Armed Forces Day national event, and is expected to welcome 300,000 visitors to the celebrations this weekend.

Cleethorpes will also host a spectacular series of air displays by the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – the Red Arrows – and the RAF Typhoon Display Team. The seaside celebrations will include a fireworks display and a ‘thank you’ concert for residents and tourists.

The Ministry of Defence has also announced that the bidding process for next year’s Armed Forces Day national event will open next week, on Tuesday 1 July.

Local authorities can apply for up to £50,000 in funding to host the official Armed Forces Day national event.

The winning town or city will also receive support from the Ministry of Defence such as military musicians, air displays and flypasts.

Recent Armed Forces Day national events have been hosted by Falmouth (2023), Scarborough (2022) and Salisbury (2019).

Armed Forces Day – the last Saturday of June – is an annual opportunity to show support and gratitude for the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets, and their families.

The Ministry of Defence recently announced ambitious plans to transform defence to make Britain safer – secure at home and strong abroad.

The government will put the Armed Forces community at the heart of these plans by renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and adopting a whole-of-society approach to our national resilience.

National occasions like Armed Forces Day support the Government’s plans to help defence industry boost local economies and ensure all parts of society contribute to our national security.

This Armed Forces Week, 8,200 members of the UK Armed Forces will be deployed overseas, serving on 52 operations in 38 countries. Hundreds more personnel are working to protect our skies, shores and seas at home.

There are around two million military veterans in the United Kingdom. The government’s Office for Veterans’ Affairs lead efforts to support veterans and celebrate their brilliant contributions to society.