Erewash residents are being urged to take to the streets to give a flag-flying welcome to our Army heroes next month . . . when the local Mercian Regiment march through both Long Eaton AND Ilkeston town centres following their tour of duty in Afghanistan.
More than 300 members of the Regiment will exercise their Freedom of the Borough when they return to Erewash on Saturday 6th March – giving residents a chance to salute them as they stage a full-sized military parade with drums rolling, flags flying and bayonets fixed.
Long Eaton residents will be able to cheer the home-coming troops when the march begins at 10.30am on West Gate, with the parade working its way along Main Street to the High Street and then through the Old Market Place and onto Tamworth Road, where the Regiment will take the salute past the Cenotaph outside St Laurence’s Church, and on to the Town Hall. A reception will be held in the Town Hall, when medals will be presented to some locally-born members of the Regiment by the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Mr William Tucker.
The battalion will then travel to Ilkeston, when the second Erewash welcome home march will take place on a route which starts at 2.15pm from Toll Bar House and will pass up South Street to the Market Place, where the salute will be taken outside the Town Hall, and down Bath Street.
The Erewash welcome will be the first chance for residents to applaud the Mercian Regiment, with the Long Eaton and Ilkeston marches being the first of 15 to be held in districts across the region during March.
A collection will be held during both parades in aid of the Royal British Legion and the Help for Heroes charity.
Erewash has had strong links with the local regiment – formerly the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters - for many years and the Borough Council was delighted to bestow the Freedom of the whole of the Borough to the Regiment in 2007.
Councillor Chris Corbett, Leader of Erewash Borough Council, said:
“This will be a memorable and historic occasion and I am sure that local residents will want to line the routes in both Long Eaton and Ilkeston to cheer and welcome home our brave soldiers. We are very proud of our local regiment and I would encourage everyone to come along and show their support. Let’s make it a wonderful Erewash welcome.”
It will be necessary for several roads to be subject to road closure orders for the duration of the marches. West Gate car park, Long Eaton and Toll Bar House car park, Ilkeston will also be closed. The markets will be unaffected.
