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Manchester reveals plans to mark Armed Forces Day 2024 with ‘poignant’ military parade next weekend

Our city will pay tribute to the hundreds who have "fearlessly served".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th June 2024

Plans to mark Armed Forces Day 2024 with a “poignant” military parade in Manchester next weekend have been revealed.

As the country prepares to honour Armed Forces Week – which is taking place this year from Monday 24 June, right through to Saturday (29 June) – and show support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, Manchester has revealed how our city will mark the annual event next weekend.

Armed Forces Week sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets. 

Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have “fearlessly served”.

Manchester has revealed its plans to mark Armed Forces Day with a ‘poignant’ military parade / Credit: LCC | MoD

To mark the start of Armed Forces Week, the Armed Forces Flag is always raised on buildings and famous landmarks across the UK, and here in Manchester city centre, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the flag will be raised above Manchester Central Library on Monday 24 June at 10:30am. 

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Armed Forces Day 2024 itself is to be marked in our city with a formal commemoration and free public event on Saturday 29 June in St Peter’s Square. 

Beginning at 11am and running through to 4pm, the Council has stated that the formal celebrations are to begin from 11:30am with a military parade and “poignant” performances from the Lancashire Artillery Band, before visitors of all ages are invited to gather together in the heart of the city centre centre to show their support.

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The free public event takes place in St Peter’s Square next Saturday 29 June / Credit: Mark Owens (via MoD on Flickr)

There’ll be live music throughout the day, as well as face painting for little Mancs, the chance to see an Army Light Gun on display, and, in another “celebratory nod”, specially-selected information stalls will also be in attendance to give visitors a look into the history of life in the Armed Forces.  

Senior members of Manchester City Council will be there on the day – including the city’s newly-appointed Lord Mayor, Cllr Paul Andrews.

“Commemorating Armed Forces Week and Day is a chance to remember the selfless and heroic sacrifices of thousands of service men and women in our community,” commented the city’s new Lord Mayor ahead of next week.

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“We have a rich history of recognising the efforts of the Armed Forces in Manchester, and this day is only a continuation in acknowledging their feats both past and present.”

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

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Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Kids at Chester Zoo

Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time its been one of England’s most popular attractions.

Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.

The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.

The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.

When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.

So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.

The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.

Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.

Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo

“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.

“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.

“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.

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“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”

Featured Image –

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Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.

Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.

The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.

Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.

These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.

The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.

Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.

The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.

Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum

“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.

“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”

A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.

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Following this, the books will be made accessible to researchers, students, and the wider public at the John Rylands Library.

Featured Image – Chris Bull (via Manchester Museum)

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