Manchester is to fall silent as the city “remembers the fallen” during the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations this weekend.
Just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed the details of how the city will mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend, and has confirmed that the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade will set off at 10:25am from John Dalton Street.
The Parade will then march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square.
Civic dignitaries, servicemen and women, service and ex-service organisations, faith leaders, emergency services, and other uniformed organisations have been invited to pay their respects at the Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square, along with members of the public.
Then at 11am, there will be a two-minute silence.
ADVERTISEMENT
The start and finish of the traditional silence will be marked by the firing of a 105mm gun, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
Manchester remembers and pays tribute to the fallen this Sunday 13 November at our #RemembranceSunday Service
The parade starts on John Dalton Street at 10.25am and will march to the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square
Following the two-minute silence, wreaths will then be laid on the Cenotaph by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, the Lord Mayor of Manchester, the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Reserve Forces represented by the 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, and 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers).
ADVERTISEMENT
The Royal British Legion will lay a wreath on behalf of ex-service men and women, Manchester Consular Association will do so on behalf of Commonwealth Allies.
At the end of the service, the Parade will proceed to Central Library for the March Past, and the National Anthem will then be played at the end of the March Past to bring the ceremony to a close.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester will “remember the fallen” during the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations / Credit: Manchester City Council
“Remembrance Sunday gives us an opportunity to reflect on past and present conflicts,” said Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Donna Ludford, ahead of this Sunday’s commemoration.
“It also gives us all a chance to express our respects and think of those who have fought for our country.
“It will be an honour to meet with members of the armed services, faith leaders and the people of Manchester on Sunday and, together, we can mark this solemn day.”
The Remembrance Sunday event will be live streamed on Facebook.
After the Parade has left the Cenotaph, the crowd control barriers will be removed and members of the public will have an opportunity to place their tributes around the memorial, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
Former GMP officer jailed after being found guilty of several online child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A former police officer from Salford has been sentenced after being found guilty of a string of online child sex offences.
Following a trial back in July, 35-year-old Michael Aspinall was sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week (Monday 14 September) after being found guilty of three counts of attempting sexual communication with a child.
It comes after Aspinall – who was employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at the time of the offences – was arrested in October 2024 by detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), and was immediately suspended from duty following his arrest.
The investigation began after evidence was obtained that Aspinall had been communicating online with individuals that he believed to be children, but he was in fact communicating with a police officer.
Following this series of interactions, he was charged with various offences.
In addition to his eight-month sentence – which has been suspended for two years – Aspinall will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years, subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order, and have undertake 20 days of rehabilitation, GMP has confirmed.
He has additionally been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
An application to request forfeiture of Aspinall’s police pension has also been made to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
“Aspinall’s offending was clearly unacceptable for any right-minded member of society and particularly inappropriate for a serving police officer,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Humphreys, from GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate.
“His actions put the whole police service under scrutiny, but thanks to the hard work and diligence of undercover officers, he was arrested, found guilty, and has now received his punishment.”
DCI Humphreys concluded: “[Aspinall’s] actions take away from the hard work of the men and women who work so hard for their communities every day, and it is only right that anyone committing these sort of offences are rooted out.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Council announces return of FREE firework displays in Manchester parks
Emily Sergeant
The skies over Manchester will light up once again, as free firework displays are set to return to several of the city’s parks.
You may remember that major fireworks events throughout the city had been paused following the COVID-19 pandemic, due to funding challenges, with Manchester City Council choosing to invest in a range of other community-focused events across throughout the autumn season instead, rather than one-off firework celebrations.
But now, once this November rolls around, all of that is set to change.
That’s because, on Saturday 7 November, free fireworks events will return to Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park, and Platt Fields Park.
First up, there will be a reduced-noise, low-impact display at 5pm for families and SEND audiences, and a main fireworks display then to follow a little later at 8pm.
The Council has announced the return of free firework displays in Manchester parks / Credit: Unsplash
Each of the three parks will host lantern making workshops in the weeks leading up to the events too, with family-friendly lantern parades taking place ahead of the 8pm firework shows.
The Council says that the return of the free fireworks events reflects residents’ recent feedback about what they want to see in their community and how they want funding to be distributed.
“It’s a chance, at the start of the shorter days and beginning of the dark winter months, to come together and resume a much-loved annual tradition as well as enjoying an evening of safe entertainment and spectacular fireworks displays,” Manchester City Council said in a statement.
Councillor Basat Sheikh, who is the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, added: “We are delighted to announce and welcome the return of our much-loved fireworks celebrations.
It’s the first time they’ve returned since the COVID-19 pandemic / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
“Our parks should be shared spaces that create opportunities for Manchester people to gather, which is why bringing back the fireworks displays was top of our agenda. And we also recognise the importance of community which is why we will also continue to invest in a wide range of activities in our parks throughout the year.
“The return of these events is a wonderful opportunity for families and communities to create lasting memories and enjoy the long-standing tradition of fireworks in our parks in a safe way.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th November 2022 
