Armed Forces Day has been marked at Royal Star & Garter’s three Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe.

Special AFD flags were raised by veterans outside the Homes to celebrate the day, on Saturday, 24 June.

Residents at the Surbiton Home also received HM Armed Forces Veterans Badges in recognition of their military service.

Royal Star & Garter is a charity which provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.

‘Allows us to show our gratitude’

The badges were given to veterans at Surbiton by Royal Star & Garter’s Director of People, Kate Silver, on Friday 23 June. She said: “It was an honour to hand out the badges to the men and women who served our country, who now live at Royal Star & Garter. Armed Forces Day is an important day for our veterans, and allows us to show our gratitude to them and the wider Armed Forces community.”

Earlier in the week, Surbiton resident Stephen Vause was among the guests who attended an Armed Forces Day function at Kingston Guildhall. At the Home, the Armed Forces Day flag was raised by Army veteran Jack Keith. There was live music to mark the day.

There was also live music in Solihull with jazz and rock n’ roll singer Jeep Johnson, and the Armed Forces Day flag was raised by Brian Bucknall, who enjoyed a 36-year career in the Army. Some residents also attended the opening of a Poppy Path at the Armed Forces Community Garden.

In High Wycombe, residents were VIP guests at a ‘Salute to our Forces’ fun day at The Crown pub in Hazelmere.

Armed Forces Day commemorates the service of men and women in the British military, from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.

Royal Star & Garter is welcoming new residents to its three Homes. For more information on this, or to work for the charity, go to www.starandgarter.org