Burnley’s commemorative event to mark First World War
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People are being invited to attend a special event of remembrance to commemorate the sacrifice made by more than 4,000 Burnley and Padiham soldiers during the First World War.
The memorial will be held at Towneley Hall, Burnley in the evening of Monday 4th August and marks the moment Britain declared war with Germany.
The event will start at 9.45pm with a torch lit parade from Riverside car park to the war memorial in the hall’s grounds. The Council will provide some lanterns; however, people are invited to bring their own lanterns and torches.
The parade will be followed by a service of remembrance including a speech from the Mayor of Burnley, Councillor Andrew Tatchell, a service by Churches Together and Building Bridges, and two minute silence.
The event will be filmed by BBC as part of its national special commemoration programme to be broadcast live on the evening.
The Mayor said: “World War One had a significant impact on Burnley borough which suffered a disproportionate amount of casualties compared to many other towns and cities in Great Britain.
“As a result, the Council and all the organisers including Royal British Legion want to show that we remember those who have fallen during the First World War.”
The commemoration event is also to tie in with the nation-wide Lights Out initiative encouraging everyone to turn off their lights at home from 10pm to 11pm, leaving a single light or candle.
Towneley Hall and other council buildings including Burnley Town Hall will be lit by a single light as part of the national campaign.
Free parking at the Riverside car park will be available from 8pm with limited disabled parking available near Towneley Hall.
The event is free to attend. Registrations for the event can be done via www.ww1commemoration.eventbrite.co.uk or calling to council’s call centre 01282 425011. People can also simply turn up on the night.
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For any further information, please contact: Greta Poskute, communications assistant, Te: 01282 477279