Residents are invited to pay their respects and commemorate Remembrance Sunday at the city’s annual parade and service on Sunday 10 November 2024.
From 10.45am troops from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 148 Divisional Support Company, as well as members of local veteran and youth organisations, will parade through the city centre onto the Market Place.
Following this, a short service, led by The Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby will take place on the Market Place, during which a two-minute silence will be observed. The Order of Service is available to download here. The service will also be live streamed onto a large screen in the Market Place.
Civic dignitaries and representatives from local organisations will also lay wreaths at the War Memorial, which turns 100 years old this year.
The city centre War Memorial, as well as the Nottingham Road and Allenton war memorials, have been carefully cleaned by the Victoria Cross Trust ahead of Remembrance commemorations this weekend. All three are Grade II listed structures.
For the first time this year, Surtal Arts Community Choir, a Derby-based South Asian arts organsation, will perform on the Market Place at around 10:15am, before the arrival of the Parade.
The choir will perform two songs, the first “Aye mere vatan ke logon” - which translates to “O people of my country” - was written in Hindi by Indian poet and songwriter Kavi Pradeep and composed by Indian music director C. Ramchandra.
The second performance will be “Ek Tu hi Bharosa”, an inclusive prayer sung by both Hindus and Muslims calling for support and enlightenment and to bring peace.
Both pieces provide an opportunity for reflection on the contribution and sacrifices of the 3.8 million South Asian soldiers who fought for the British Commonwealth during the First and Second World Wars, helping to secure the freedoms we enjoy today.
To protect members of the public and parade participants, there will be road closures on Sunday 10 November, from 8am until 1pm:
- Sowter Road from its junction with St Michael’s Lane
- The junction of Queen Street and Full Street
- Derwent Street
- Corporation Street and Tenant Street
- St James Street, Corn Market and Iron Gate (from its junction with Sadler Gate)
Several parking restrictions will also be in place:
- The Council House car park will be closed to members of the public from 6.00pm on Saturday 9 November until 2pm on Sunday 10 November.
- On-street parking will be suspended on Full Street and Tenant Street from 7pm on Saturday 9 November to 1pm on Sunday 10 November.
- The on-street parking bays on Derwent Street will be reserved for Blue Badge parking on Sunday 10 November.
Parking is available for those travelling into the city centre in both the Chapel Street and Bold Lane multi-storey car parks, which are a short walk from the Market Place.
Those who are unable to travel into the city centre can also watch the parade and service live on the Council’s YouTube channel.