Media Release Issued on behalf of Step Short, Folkestone Were you born between 1914 and 1930? 17 July 2014 Organisers of the Royal visit to Folkestone next month are reserving a number of celebrity seats for some very special guests. Fifty places have been reserved in an area of tiered seating close to the Step Short commemorative arch for anyone who was born between 1914 and 1930, which would make them aged between 83 and 100 today. Anyone who qualifies and who would like to be included in this special event should get in touch with Tamasin Jarrett by telephoning 01303 853277 or emailing [email protected] Each guest will be able to be accompanied by one carer and will need to be in place by 10.45am. The arch, at the Road of Remembrance end of The Leas, will be the focus of national attention on Monday 4 August when His Royal Highness Prince Harry arrives in town to ‘open’ the arch. Commissioned by Step Short with funding from groups and individuals as well as from Kent, Shepway and Folkestone councils and the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, the arch is being opened 100 years to the day from the start of the First World War. It has been designed by Folkestone designer Philip Gearing, of Foster Gearing, and pays tribute to the men and women – nurses and civilians as well as soldiers - who passed through the town on their way to or from the battlefields of Europe between 1914 and 1918. The palace has now confirmed that Prince Harry will arrive in Folkestone at around lunchtime and will be at the Step Short event for about an hour and a half. There is likely to be a great deal of national and local media interest in the opening of the arch and big screens will be set up to allow as many people as possible to view the event. A parade by military contingents from the Royal Navy, regular and territorial armies and the RAF will be followed by a civilian march expected to top 800 people, many of whom have marched the same route every year for the past five. The parade will halt at the arch, where Prince Harry will perform the official opening before moving to the nearby War Memorial for a short Act of Remembrance that will be followed by two minutes’ silence. The parade will then continue to the harbour, where the royal visitor will be able to meet members of the armed forces, volunteers and the public before a balloon release signals the end of the formal proceedings. The harbour car park will also be the site of a major BBC event, called World War One at Home, which will be hosted by BBC Radio Kent and will tell the story of the war from the point of view of those left behind, as well as helping people explore their own family links to the war.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:05:13 +0000
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