Latest news with #SSAFA
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spitfires, parachutists and cavalry at palace's nostalgia event
Staff at stately home Blenheim Palace are getting ready to stage the annual Battle Proms next month. Each year, the Woodstock visitor attraction hosts the military nostalgia event. The Battle Proms takes place overlooking the Column of Victory in the palace grounds, which include 2,100 acres of formal gardens and 'Capability' Brown-landscaped parkland. READ MORE: Heatwave coming to Oxfordshire This year's Proms will take place on Saturday, July 5. (Image: Blenheim Palace) The Battle Proms Concerts are the longest running picnic proms series in the UK, attracting about 30,000 visitors a year since the first concert in 1997. Proms concerts are also held at Burghley House, Peterborough, Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire, and Highclere Castle, Hampshire. At Blenheim, gates will open at 4.30pm, and there will be a cavalry display at 6.15pm, followed by a parachute display from The Red Devils at 6.45pm. There will be an evening gun salute featuring more than 200 cannons at 7.55pm, followed by a Spitfire display at 8pm. (Image: Oxford Mail) The musical programme runs from 8pm to 10.30pm and there will be a fireworks finale. Entry to the palace and gardens is not included in the Battle Proms ticket, but Battle Proms ticket holders can purchase palace entry with an exclusive 30% discount if they plan to visit the palace during the day. The website says: "Widely regarded as the most exciting summer proms concert in the country, the Battle Proms is a firmly established favourite that thousands of fans return to year after year. "Pack up a picnic, stock up on fizz and join the party; whether you're planning a romantic evening as a couple, a celebration as a group, or want to enjoy an informal concert as a family then this could be the unique experience you have been looking for." The event will support armed forces charity SSAFA. SSAFA said in a statement: "A full programme of unforgettable entertainment will ensure your evening goes off with a bang. "You will enjoy daring cavalry performances, hair-raising parachute displays and hear the unmistakable rumble of the Spitfire as it flies overhead and if that's not enough, this perfect summer evening will conclude with a ground shaking firework and cannon display as the orchestra perform Beethoven's 'Battle Symphony'. "Whether you're planning a romantic evening as a couple, a group celebration, or want to enjoy a fun filled day out as a family, this could be the unique experience you've been looking for." Assistance dogs are the only dogs that are permitted at the event. Blenheim Palace annual pass holders are entitled to a 10 per cent discount on standard advance adult and child tickets.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sale of Barnsley military properties 'dishonours' war hero
A former army veteran has spoken out over the decision by an armed forces charity to sell off military cottages built in honour of his brother in bungalows, known as the McKay VC Memorial Cottages, in Hoyland, were built in 1988 and dedicated to Sgt Ian John McKay, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria being built to house disabled military veterans the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) sold the properties in 2024 to Mountview Estates. While veterans still living on the site have been told they can stay for the rest of their lives, Mr McKay's brother-in-law John Vickers, 58, said he did not want his relative's memory "tainted". Sgt McKay, from Wortley, served in the Falklands and died aged 29 during the Battle of Mount Longdon in 1982 while trying to save his fellow soldiers from enemy was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the UK's top military Vickers said: "He was obviously a fair bit older than me but he was a magnificent calm individual, warm and loving""He was the reason I joined the army" he served with the Queens regiment on tours in Gibraltar and Northern Ireland before leaving the force in 1991 after suffering an injury in Cyprus. Veterans currently living in the bungalows on Pine Close in Hoyland told the BBC last year how unsettling the sale had been for September SSAFA said they had a "binding stipulation" that all current residents could live in their properties for as long as they wished but that the sale "would free up more financial resources to help more people through the charity's core work".Mr Vickers described the approach by the military charity as "commercial short-termism dishonouring my brother-in-law's name"He added: "If you dedicate a series of buildings to the care of veterans in the name of someone who was a veteran it is behoven on the organisations involved to maintain that legacy "I'm exceptionally disappointed that this has not happened."SSAFA had an obligation to maintain them as memorial cottages, not just for one generation or just the existing residents but for a legacy of at least 125 years." In a statement a spokesperson for SSAFA said:"We understand the strength of Mr Vickers' feelings, and would like to make clear that the lifetime protected tenancies the residents of the McKay VC Memorial Cottages signed nine months ago are just that: protected and for life."They continued, "Further, the sale of the Pine Close properties is leaving a legacy of help and support to many in the military family past, present, and future, not only the residents of those properties."A spokesperson for Mountview PLC said they did not wish to comment. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Wartime star Dame Vera Lynn would want young people to help others
The daughter of forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn has stressed the importance of 'duty' for young people and said her mother would have thought it is 'very important' they help others. Dame Vera lifted troops' spirits with concerts in Egypt, India and Burma during the war in which she sang songs including The White Cliffs Of Dover and We'll Meet Again, which were heard at the Westminster Abbey service on Thursday. She died in 2020 aged 103, having had a celebrated career as a singer and entertainer that spanned more than 90 years. Her daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones was at the VE Day 80th anniversary party at the Royal Albert Hall when she spoke to the PA news agency. Asked about lessons for the younger generation, Ms Lewis-Jones told PA: 'I think that if they can learn that duty is very important, that if you can do anything to help anybody please do so. 'It doesn't matter if it's Gertrude next door who needs her shopping done or whatever, but it's very, very important for the young people to help other people as much as possible'. That is what her mother 'would have thought, and that's what I think as well', she added. The Royal Albert Hall party, presented by the SSAFA Armed Forces charity in association with the Daily Mail, heard music from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as well as a performance from Strictly Come Dancing star Nadiya Bychkova. Ms Lewis-Jones told PA: 'Obviously this is an extremely, extremely important day – it should always be remembered. 'Especially for the young people to remember what people sacrificed for them for today, and the freedoms that we've got now are purely due to the people that not only fought, and did a lot of other things in the background of the war, but also afterwards.' She added: '80th anniversary, you know there won't be a lot of veterans left for the next 10 years so it's a very, very important day and my mother would have reiterated that and said how important that was. 'She was very keen on young people to be able to appreciate what happened during and after the war as well.' Dame Vera worked with many charities to ensure people were aware of the events before, during and after the Second World War, Ms Lewis-Jones added. She is currently fundraising for a memorial to her mother to be installed near the White Cliffs of Dover. It will also pay tribute to other artists who travelled the world boosting moral by entertaining troops and families. Dame Vera was born March 20 1917 and started singing in working men's clubs at seven years old. During the war she captured the hearts of the nation with her uplifting musical performances and recordings. In 2017, aged 100, Dame Vera became the oldest living artist to be in the UK's album chart top 10.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Nation to pay tribute to wartime heroes on 80th anniversary of VE Day
Scotland is set to pay tribute to its wartime heroes with events taking place around the country to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. A service of thanksgiving will take place at Glasgow Cathedral at 1pm, with guests including representatives from the military, veterans' organisations, emergency services and religious groups. Members of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA), and the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA) will be taking part in the service, along with their families. A number of elected officials are also set to be in attendance, including Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill. Speaking ahead of the service Ms McNeill said: 'It's a huge privilege to attend the VE Day Commemoration in Glasgow to honour all the men and women in Scotland who served during the Second World War, and also to recognise the great sacrifice of the people of Glasgow during the Clydebank Blitz in March 1941. 'We owe our lives to those who served, and what will be a moving ceremony in Glasgow Cathedral is a fitting reminder of that.' Lord Provost of Glasgow Jacqueline McLaren said: 'Thursday's service in Glasgow Cathedral is a time for us to come together to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made, courage displayed and the resilience of those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and help build a better world. 'It's also a day to rejoice in peace and freedom, sometimes things that we take for granted. I hope as many people as possible can come along to join us in tribute and celebration.' Reverend Mark Johnstone, minister at Glasgow Cathedral, added: 'We look forward to welcoming people from all walks of life, people of faith and none, as we reflect, give thanks and pray for a better tomorrow. 'Although there are increasingly few veterans still alive, the world we live in today was shaped by the outcome of the Second World War.' Meanwhile, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray is set to visit Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, where he will meet 99-year-old VE Day veterans Margaret Landels and George McLeod, as well as a number of other military veterans. The factory has been producing poppies in Scotland since 1926, and its team of ex-service men and women produce millions of poppies and tens of thousands of wreaths, remembrance symbols and long-stem poppies each year. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Murray said: 'VE Day is a moment for us all to give thanks to the wartime generation. We thank all those who served at home and abroad, who gave so much to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today. 'Of course, the war was not over until VJ Day, but VE Day marked a crucial turning point in the war and in our history, and it is right that we continue to mark it 80 years on.' The anniversary is also being marked in Scottish Government buildings, where a two-minute silence will be observed at midday. The Scottish Government's Victoria Quay and St Andrew's House buildings in Edinburgh will also continue to be lit up in red as part of a campaign to light significant buildings across the UK. Edinburgh Castle was among the buildings to be lit up in red on Tuesday in the run-up to the anniversary. Memorial events are also set to continue in Lerwick aboard vessels that arrived there from Norway on Tuesday, in commemoration of the Shetland Bus that operated between Scotland and Norway during the war. The events mark 80 years to the day since the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender on May 8 1945, bringing the Second World War in Europe to an end after more than five years of bitter fighting.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Keir Starmer pokes fun at Robert Jenrick's leadership ambitions with marathon jibe
Sir Keir Starmer joked about Tory MP Robert Jenrick 's leadership ambitions during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday (30 April), when he referenced last week's marathons in London and Manchester and said the shadow justice minister "is still running". Jenrick, who was runner-up in the November leadership election that saw Kemi Badenoch elected to head up the Conservative Party, ran 26.2 miles to raise funds for armed forces charity SSAFA. The prime minister congratulated both MPs and journalists who took part in events on Sunday (27 April), including Scottish politician Harriet Cross who became the fastest female MP.
