Armed Forces Week 2020 - Launch and Global Armed Forces

Today sees the official launch of this years Armed Forces Week!

Armed Forces Week is a chance to celebrate our Armed Forces, the military personnel and the role they play protecting the UK both at home and overseas. 

As well as celebrating the Armed Forces family this is also time to celebrate the work of the Cadet Force Adult Volunteers from all three branches and the spare time they dedicate to making the Cadet experience as fulfilling as it is.

This year sees activity across the whole week, with dedicated days to focus on some of the main themes within the Armed Forces. The themes are outlined below:

Due to Covid-19 restrictions all physical Armed Forces Day and Reserve Day events have been cancelled, but there are still plenty of digital ways you can get involved and show your support. Despite the Coronavirus pandemic, in which our Armed Forces have played their part in helping with the national response, they have continued to keep Britain safe and are operating as usual.

Reserves Day – Wednesday 24th June 2020

Reservists give up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces, balancing their civilian life with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve as part of the regular military.

With over 4,500 Reservists across the three services right here in Greater London, the Reserve Forces make up approximately one sixth of our Armed Forces personnel and are key to protecting the nation’s security at home and overseas. However, the contribution they make to our Armed Forces often goes unrecognised.  Reserves Day was created to highlight and recognise the valuable contribution Reservists make to our Armed Forces.

As a Reservist, what can I do to support Reserves Day?

In previous years Reservists have been invited to wear their uniform to work on Reserves day to show pride in their Reserve service and raise awareness of the Reserve Forces.

This year Reservists are invited to take part in #ZoomInUniform with Reservists encouraged to wear their uniform on Wednesday 24th June and post pictures on social media.  This could be your own personal account or your employer’s social media accounts.  Remember to use the hashtags #ArmedForcesWeek and #SaluteOurForces when uploading your photos - and don’t forget to tag us @GLRFCA.

Employers are also being encouraged to support by sharing their employees stories – share your Reservists photos, videos and creative outputs with your followers!

Armed Forces Day – Saturday 27th June

Armed Forces Week celebrations begin on Monday 22nd June when the Armed Forces Day flag is traditionally raised on buildings and famous landmarks around the country.

The National Event in 2020 was meant to be held in Scarborough, but unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic this has been cancelled.

Armed Forces Day on is a chance to show your support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, including serving troops to Service families, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers and cadets.

How can I get involved with Armed Forces Day?

There are lots of different ways you can show you support for Armed Forces Day from your own home.

You can take part digitally by joining the #SaluteOurForces initiative.  Simply submit photos or videos of yourself, friends or colleagues saluting with the above hashtag to show your support for the Armed Forces community and their hard work. You can find more details about how to take part in this and submit your images here.  Please remember to tag us in your photos too, we'd love to see how you are celebrating our forces family - tag us on twitter @GLRFCA

There may also be virtual events you could join, hosted on the Armed Forces Day social media platforms or virtually by stakeholders.  One in particular is the SSAFA 13 Bridges challenge. SSAFA’s 13 Bridges Walk was going to be London’s premier event for Armed Forces Day and an opportunity for companies and individuals to show their support for our Armed Forces while raising funds for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

This event was originally meant to showcase the bridges of London and the amazing work our Armed Forces do, so why not use your walk to showcase the bridges in your local area or pay your respects by walking to your local war memorial, base or landmark.

Click here to find out how you can get involved now!

Additionally, if you personally know someone in the Armed Forces perhaps you could send them a message or give them a call to thank them for their work and for helping to keep the UK safe.

There are also some Armed Forces Day resources which can be found on the official toolkit here.

Keep an eye on this space to keep up to date with what’s going on this week!