A celebration of heroes who have served their country in the armed forces has been boosted by a £10,000 donation from the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD has awarded Weymouth Town Council £10,000 to support the council’s annual Armed Forces Weekend, taking place from Friday, June 21 until Monday, June 24.

As an addition to this year’s event, Armour and Embarkation will kickstart the weekend on Friday, June 21.

They are a military vehicle group that will bring a fantastic convoy of Second World War military vehicles which will park up at the Jubilee Clock on Weymouth seafront.

The vehicles will be parked up at the Jubilee Clock between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday, June 21, for anyone to view and ask questions about.

Saturday sees the arrival of the Dorset Military Vehicle Association who will show their historic military vehicles on the Pavilion Forecourt from 10am to 3.30pm, with music and entertainment from the era.

There will also be various charity and awareness stalls set up on the Esplanade throughout the day. 

On Sunday at 11am, Weymouth seafront will host an open-air service for veterans at the cenotaph, followed by a parade along the seafront with marching bands and military vehicles.

Participation forms for the service and parade are available on the Weymouth Town Council website.

Throughout the afternoon, there will be entertainment including marching band performances, the display of historic vehicles along the seafront along with the stalls.

On Monday, June 24 at 10.30am, the Armed Forces Weekend concludes with a flag-raising ceremony held outside Weymouth Town Council’s offices at the New Town Hall on Commercial Road. 

Weymouth Town Council’s Assistant Town Clerk, Charmaine Denny said: “We are honoured that the Ministry of Defence has recognised Weymouth’s flagship Armed Forces Weekend attended by so many residents and visitors, and we are grateful for the generous grant of £10,000 which will go towards putting on an event of this scale. 

“Coming so soon after the poignant commemorations planned for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we look forward to welcoming veterans and their families to the town, filling the hotels and guest houses and recognising the incredible work that our Armed Forces continue to contribute to our country.” 

The news of funding for the event is a welcome boost to the town council after their request for £4,500 from Dorset Council to host D-Day celebrations on behalf of the county was snubbed.

Dignitaries from Dorset Council were subsequently uninvited to a beacon lighting event to commemorate D-Day, after councillors slammed Dorset Council's decision as an "insult" and a "slap in the face" to the town council and its residents.