Story added: 1st July 2024

Armed Forces Day at The Nest

On Saturday 29th of June The Nest played host to the Community Sports Foundation’s very first Armed Forces Day event.

Armed Forces Day, a nationally recognised date on the British calendar, invites communities to come together to celebrate the dedication and sacrifice of our Armed Forces Community.

The day began at 10am with a youth football festival in the Norfolk Hire arena, which saw the children making the most of the glorious Saturday sunshine out on the pitch.

The morning also saw a variety of family fun activities, including face-painting and colouring in. In line with the military theme of the event, there was also a ‘fancy-dress corner’ where families could try on a range of Armed Forces uniforms, such as hats and jackets.

Several military charities and associations were also represented and were there to answer any questions and to give out information to the visitors.

This was followed by over 400 people watching on as the City of Norwich Pipe Band led a group of serving military personnel, reservists, veterans and cadets in a full parade. Guest of honour, General the Lord Dannatt took the salute from the marching troops, alongside Lt General Jonathan Page and the Lord Mayor of Norwich.

In the afternoon, members of the Armed Forces Community took on the Foundation’s very own ‘Community XI’ in a tug-of-war challenge, with the Foundation team needing three extra people on their side of the rope to scrape a narrow victory.

The two teams then faced each other once again out on the pitches, in a competitive 11-a-side-fixture, kindly sponsored by Op Courage. This time, the Armed Forces Community team stamped their authority over their counterparts, cruising to a comfortable 8-0 victory. Handshakes and group photos followed, with all players picking up a participation trophy.

Throughout the afternoon, local band The Stereotypes were on hand to provide live music, with the Foundation’s very own Disability Dance troupe also taking to the pitches to put on a show. Both performances were hugely popular amongst the crowds at The Nest.

The Foundation’s Armed Forces Day advocate, Neil Hall said:

“The Foundation’s first Armed Forces Day was a roaring success and gives us a launchpad to support our wonderful Armed Forces Community in the future.

The sun shone, the veterans marched, the bands played and the crowds cheered – we really couldn’t have asked for more. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.”

View the full gallery from our very first Armed Forces Day here.