Interested in advertising with us?

Advertise with us

Thank you for your interest in this story

To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week

    Already a subscriber? Log in here.

    31

    Jul 2023

    Last Updated: 31/07/2023
    Community
    Community

    Local Remembrance Sunday parades under threat after police withdraw traffic help

    by John Plummer

    | 31 Jul, 2023
    Comment

    0

    charlotte-gale-knaresborough-remembrance-2019-12x8-1771-1
    Knaresborough pays its respects on Remembrance Sunday in 2019. Picture: Charlotte Gale.

    This year's Remembrance Sunday parade in Knaresborough may not go ahead after police told organisers they could no longer provide traffic management.

    David Houlgate, vice-chair of Knaresborough Royal British Legion, said the charity had been "rocked to the core" by the news.

    A letter from the assistant chief constable of North Yorkshire Police told the legion it would no longer provide traffic management because the force needed to ensure it focused resources on tackling crime.

    Mr Houlgate said:

    "This immediately puts this year’s Remembrance Day parade’s at risk of being cancelled and future ones not happening too."


    It is unclear whether this will jeopardise other local Remembrance Sunday parades or other events which require police traffic management.

    Remembrance Day Harrogate 2021

    Will Harrogate's Remembrance Sunday commemorations also be affected?



    The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police to clarify the situation. It said it was working on a statement about traffic management which would be forwarded on.

    Mr Houlgate said:

    “We were not expecting this and it is a major blow for the town.  There is of course a cost to providing our own traffic management provision so this decision by North Yorkshire Police almost certainly means there will be no Remembrance Day Parade in Knaresborough as things currently stand.
    "And it is not just Knaresborough, it appears that North Yorkshire Police have made this decision right across the county.  We are devastated.”
    “We are a charity and we are focused on raising funds to provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.  So even though every year we also lead the nation in commemorating and honouring those who have served and sacrificed, we cannot justify spending funds on traffic management.”


    Remembrance Sunday commemorations in Knaresborough begin with a service at St John’s Church followed by the parade, which lasts about 20 minutes, to the war memorial in the Castle Yard.”

    Mr Houlgate said:

    “Apart from the covid lockdown this will be the first time in living memory the Remembrance Day parade will not happen here in Knaresborough unless there is a change of heart by North Yorkshire Police, which seems unlikely, or something else turns up.”