HUNDREDS of people will gather in Christchurch this Sunday to pay tribute to members of the UK’s armed forces, past and present.

The Veterans Parade is being held in Burton but will feature serving and retired service personnel, along with residents, from across the borough.

The event culminates on the village green with a drumhead service followed by entertainment.

One of the organisers, Cllr Colin Jamieson, said the parade – first held last year – brings together veterans and residents to demonstrate that “our community respects the sacrifice many of them have undertaken and continue to undertake for the nation.”

He added: “We feel very strongly that our service personnel should know that we support them in their deployments.

“You only have to look at the tremendous personal sacrifices that are being made on a daily basis on the front line in Afghanistan, to know just how important community support and encouragement is.”

The parade is open to any current or former serviceman or woman and leaves from Burton Primary School in Campbell Road at 2.30pm.

Anyone wishing to participate in the parade should be at the school by about 2pm.

Representatives from the Rifles, the Gurkhas and other local services organisations including the Royal British Legion will be taking part.

Cllr Jamieson added: “Although the event is in Burton, it is something for the whole of Christchurch.

“We want as many people as possible to come along, enjoy the afternoon and the remember the importance of the message.”

The parade is even more poignant this year, coming just a couple of weeks after the 65th anniversary commemorations of the D- Day landings. There are an estimated 5.5 million veterans of the armed forces in the UK.