The Ripon branch of the Royal British Legion has held a dedication ceremony at the city’s Garden of Remembrance, where the dead of two World Wars and other conflicts are remembered.
The event, a week before Remembrance Sunday, went ahead following consultation with Harrogate Borough Council.
Numbers in attendance were kept to a minimum and social distancing measures were in place, as the Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd John Dobson, blessed the garden and led prayers.
The Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd John Dobson leads prayers at the Garden of Remembrance
In the shadow of Ripon Cathedral, where the dead of many battles and wars have been mourned over the centuries, he said:
“We assemble today in the presence of almighty God to dedicate this ground as a Garden of Remembrance.”
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He added:
“This coming week, tokens of remembrance will be placed in memory of those who fell in the cause of freedom for our country.
“In the name of the Royal British Legion, we pledge ourselves to help, encourage and comfort others and to support those working for the relief of the needy and for the peace and welfare of the nations.”
With the coronavirus crisis and a second nationwide lockdown coming into effect on Thursday, this has been a challenging year for all charities and has impacted heavily on the annual Poppy Appeal run by the Royal British Legion.
Ripon branch chair, Jeet Bahadur Sahi, who organised the dedication event, told the Stray Ferret:
“In these difficult times, we all have to be careful and as well as limiting the number of people in attendance at the ceremony we have followed strict social distancing to ensure all are safe.”
He added:
“The lockdown has seen the cancellation of Remembrance Sunday services across the country, but people can still come individually to put a cross in the ground at the garden, in memory of friends or family members who have fallen in war.
“I would just stress that people must follow the government’s social distancing requirements if they come to the Garden of Remembrance.”
The covid pandemic means Poppy Appeal street collections that normally raise up to £20,000 to support the Royal British Legion’s work, cannot be held this year.
Supermarkets across Ripon have poppies on sale.
