Communities across East Lancashire will come together next week to honour the service and sacrifice of members of the Armed Forces, with dozens of remembrance services, parades and wreath-laying ceremonies planned across the region.
Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale councils have all announced programmes of events for Remembrance Sunday on November 8 and Armistice Day on November 11, inviting residents to pay their respects and observe the national two minutes' silence.
In Blackburn with Darwen, commemorations will begin on Saturday, November 7, with a service in Darwen Market Square followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Boer War Memorial in Belgrave Square.
On Remembrance Sunday, a United Service of Remembrance will take place at Blackburn Cathedral from 9.30am before a parade and wreath-laying ceremony at the Gardens of Remembrance in Corporation Park.
In Darwen, a service at St Peter's Church will be followed by a ceremony at the war memorial in Bold Venture Park.
The borough will also host the Mayor's Remembrance Concert at King George's Hall on Monday, November 9, featuring schoolchildren, the Salvation Army Band and local cadets.
Acts of Remembrance and the traditional two minutes' silence will be held outside Blackburn and Darwen town halls at 11am on Armistice Day, Wednesday, November 11.
Councillor Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "Remembrance gives us the opportunity to pause and remember those who served and those who gave their lives in conflicts past and present.
"These events bring together people from all communities across the borough to reflect, pay their respects and ensure that those sacrifices are never forgotten."
Across neighbouring Hyndburn, services and parades will be held in every township across the borough.
The main Accrington service will begin at the cenotaph in Oak Hill Park before a parade through the town centre to the Church Street War Memorial.
Other events will take place in Altham, Baxenden, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, Huncoat, Oswaldtwistle and Rishton.
Cllr Stewart Eaves, Hyndburn Council's Armed Forces Champion, said: "Our community comes together every year to honour our fallen heroes, in conflicts both past and present, on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
"It is an opportunity for us to pay our respects and thank them for their service, without which we wouldn't enjoy the freedoms we take for granted today."
An Armistice Day service will also be held at the Accrington Pals Memorial Garden in Church Street from 10.45am on November 11.
Burnley's commemorations will centre on the Peace Gardens in the town centre.
A parade involving serving military personnel, veterans and members of other uniformed services will make its way through the town on Remembrance Sunday before a service begins at 10.50am.
A further service will be held at the Peace Gardens on Armistice Day ahead of the national two minutes' silence.
Burnley Mayor Cllr Saeed Chaudhary said: "The freedoms we have today were secured through extraordinary courage and selflessness, and it is important that we continue to remember those sacrifices and pass that understanding on to future generations."
Across Pendle, remembrance services and wreath-laying ceremonies will take place in Barley, Barnoldswick, Barrowford, Blacko, Brierfield and Reedley, Colne, Earby, Fence, Foulridge, Higham, Laneshaw Bridge, Nelson, Newchurch, Salterforth and Trawden.
Pendle Mayor Cllr Nadeem Ahmed will attend ceremonies in Colne, Barrowford and Nelson throughout Remembrance Sunday.
He said: "Remembrance Sunday is such a poignant day which holds great significance for so many.
"People across Pendle are welcome to join us in remembering the brave men and women who lost their lives in service for our country in World War One, World War Two and in conflicts around the world since."
Meanwhile, communities across Rossendale will gather for remembrance events beginning with services in Stacksteads and Edenfield before parades and ceremonies take place in Helmshore, Whitworth, Waterfoot, Haslingden, Rawtenstall and Bacup.
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Remembrance events across East Lancashire
Blackburn with Darwen
Saturday, November 7
- 11am: Darwen Market Square Service, followed by wreath laying at the Boer War Memorial in Belgrave Square.
Sunday, November 8
- 9am: United Service of Remembrance, St Peter's Church, Darwen, followed by wreath laying at Bold Venture Park.
- 9.30am: United Service of Remembrance, Blackburn Cathedral.
- Parade and wreath laying at the Gardens of Remembrance, Corporation Park.
Monday, November 9
- 6.30pm: Mayor's Remembrance Concert, King George's Hall.
Wednesday, November 11
- 11am: Acts of Remembrance and Two Minutes' Silence outside Blackburn Town Hall and Darwen Town Hall.
Hyndburn
Sunday, November 8
Accrington
- 10am: Transport departs from Accrington Bus Station to Oak Hill Park.
- 10.45am: Service at Oak Hill Park Cenotaph.
- 11.30am: Parade to Church Street War Memorial.
Altham
- 10am: Service at St James' Church and Act of Remembrance.
Baxenden
- 10.30am: Service at St John's Church.
- 11am: Cenotaph ceremony.
Church
- 11am: Service at Gatty Park War Memorial.
Clayton-le-Moors
- 9.30am: Assemble at Arthur Wilson Centre.
- 9.40am: Procession.
- 10am: Service at All Saints Church.
Great Harwood
- 9.45am: Church services.
- 10.20am: Assemble at Town Gate.
- 10.35am: Parade.
- 10.55am: Service and wreath laying.
Huncoat
- 2.15pm: Assemble at Burnley Lane/Lowergate Road.
- 2.30pm: Wreath-laying ceremony.
Oswaldtwistle
- 2pm: Assemble on Thwaites Street.
- 2.10pm: Parade.
- 2.30pm: Service and wreath laying.
Rishton
- 10am: Service at St Peter and St Paul's Church.
- 10.40am: Parade and wreath laying.
Wednesday, November 11
- 10.45am: Armistice Day service, Accrington Pals Memorial Garden.
- 11am: National Two Minutes' Silence.
Burnley
Sunday, November 8
- 10.30am: Parade viewing starts outside Marks & Spencer, St James's Street.
- 10.45am: Gather at the Peace Gardens.
- 10.50am: Remembrance Sunday Service.
Wednesday, November 11
- 10.50am: Armistice Day service at the Peace Gardens.
- 11am: Two Minutes' Silence.
Pendle
Sunday, November 8
Services and wreath-laying ceremonies will take place in:
- Barley
- Barnoldswick
- Barrowford
- Blacko
- Brierfield and Reedley
- Colne
- Earby
- Fence
- Foulridge
- Higham
- Laneshaw Bridge
- Nelson
- Newchurch
- Salterforth
- Trawden
Mayor's engagements
- 11am: Colne Cenotaph.
- 12 noon: Memorial Garden, Barrowford Memorial Park.
- 2pm: Nelson Cenotaph.
Rossendale
Friday, November 6
- 10.45am: Remembrance Service, Peace Garden, Toll Bar, Stacksteads.
Saturday, November 7
- 10.40am: Remembrance Service, Memorial Gardens, Edenfield.
Sunday, November 8
- 9.15am: Helmshore Remembrance Parade.
- 10am: Remembrance Service, Rakefoot Methodist Church.
- 10.20am: Whitworth Remembrance Parade.
- 10.45am: Remembrance Service, Cowpe Sunday School.
- 12.30pm: Remembrance Service, Trickett's Memorial Ground, Waterfoot.
- 1pm: Haslingden Remembrance Parade.
- 2.30pm: Rawtenstall Remembrance Parade.
- 2.30pm: Bacup Remembrance Parade.
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