​Marking Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday

The annual Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday events will be different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Restrictions mean that residents of Bury cannot meet up with people they do not live with (unless they are in a support bubble) in any public venue, which includes places of worship.

As such, no parades or ceremonies are to take place across the borough of Bury at cenotaphs or war memorials on Sunday 8 November and/or Armistice Day.

Church services may go ahead on the basis of current Covid-secure guidelines; however at no point should a service be moved outside for people to gather:

• People may attend a mosque, church, synagogue, temple or other place or worship for a service, but they should socially distance from people outside of their household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings).

• Those who wish to lay a wreath at a site of Remembrance are asked to avoid 11am on 8 and 11 November in order that compliance on social distancing and gatherings can be maintained to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

• Residents should not meet up in groups of more than six to lay wreaths.

Residents are invited to mark the occasion at home and online, in the way that the VE75 celebrations were held earlier this year.

• Short video messages from the Mayor of Bury and the Leader of Bury Council will be prepared to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, with pre-recorded tributes and wreath-laying to be shared on social media on 8 and 11 November. Residents are also encouraged to share their messages online using the hashtag #BuryRemembers

• The British Legion has prepared online information packs for people to learn about Remembrance Day: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/remembrance/teaching-remembrance

• Bury Parish Church will livestream an extended Sunday service at 10am on 8 November. Go to https://www.facebook.com/buryparishchurch

A Virtual Tour of the Fusiliers Museum, with a recent video to mark VJ75, is at https://www.fusiliermuseum.com/explore/virtual-museum.

• Details about all of the above and other ways that you can remember at home are listed on our dedicated webpage www.bury.gov.uk/remembrance2020

Local and national support is available for those in the Armed Forces, veterans and their families.

For those who find the Remembrance period particularly difficult, the British Legion have a wellbeing helpline open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Call 0808 802 8080 or visit https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-support/physical-and-mental-wellbeing where there is also an online chat function.

Councillor David Jones, cabinet member for communities and emergency planning, said: “Bury has a long and proud military history and, while it is heartbreaking that we cannot mark the sacrifices of previous generations in the usual way, we need to everything we can to keep today’s citizens safe.

“Organisers of the various services and parades across the borough are being highly responsible, advising people to lay their wreaths in the days around Armistice Day and putting online events in place so people can still feel part of the Remembrance events from home.

“I urge everyone to follow the rules and play their part in getting the transmission rate down so we can get back to normal life as soon as we can.”

Any group wishing to organise a Covid-secure should contact Bury Council at corporate.core@bury.gov.uk to receive advice from the Bury Safety Advisory Group which includes representatives from highways, parks, licencing and community safety.