THE Armed Forces will be celebrated at a flag-raising ceremony in Taunton tomorrow (June 20) – ahead of a major celebration next month.

Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council are uniting to show their support for the Armed Forces at 11am, with a service at County Hall featuring the chair of Somerset Council, Councillor Mike Best, and Mayor of Taunton, Cllr Martin Straus.

The Armed Forces Day flag will be flown at Somerset Council’s main offices and at Taunton Town Council’s office at Deane House, in Belvedere Road, ahead of the day itself, on June 28.

Cllr Best said: “Flying the Armed Forces Day flag is a mark of our respect and support for the Armed Forces from serving personnel to service families, veterans and cadets.

“It’s an honour to have this opportunity to recognise the sacrifices and the contribution they have made and continue to make to the nation and our local communities.”

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And Cllr Straus added: “We are proud to partner with Somerset Council to host this key event in Taunton; it’s particularly poignant this year, being as it is the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

“As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, Taunton Town Council welcomes this opportunity to say thank you to the wider Armed Forces community.”

Residents wishing to pay their own tributes can find out more at www.armedforcesday.org.uk.

People can also show their support and join a day of free events and displays for all the family at the Somerset Armed Forces Day, in Vivary Park, on Saturday, July 5.

The event, celebrating the men and women who make up the Armed Forces and emergency services communities, including those serving, their families, veterans and cadets, will feature arena events, fly pasts, displays of military and emergency service vehicles and stalls with information on British military history.

Dignitaries and officials at the raising of the flag in 2024. Picture: Taunton Town Council