Town's Armed Forces Day event cancelled

The 2024 event featured vintage displays and live entertainment

An event paying tribute to service personnel in a Nottinghamshire town has been cancelled.

The Armed Forces Day celebrations in Mansfield will not go ahead on the 28 June.

In past years it had been organised by the Mansfield Business Improvement District (BID), an organisation formed of town centre businesses.

Jay Rowlinson, chief executive of Mansfield BID, said there would be an alternative event related to army recruitment later in the year - which the Armed Forces Day had been "swapped" with.

Figures from Mansfield BID said last year's event had increased footfall to the town centre by 50.7% compared to the previous Sunday

However, David Drew, president of Mansfield's Royal Air Force Association (RAFA), said the charity and others were at risk of closing because the event had been cancelled.

Mr Drew estimated roughly a quarter of its Wind Appeal collection money comes from Armed Forces Day, and it allowed RAFA to increase its visibility with the general public.

"I'm just so sad, the contrast between Mansfield and Newark [which is continuing its celebrations] just makes me all the more angry," he said.

"The Armed Forces are now at such a parlous state of membership, it's really not nice to see that the charity input is falling away. I really worry about it for the future."

'Not our decision'

A spokesperson for Girlguiding Mansfield said: "We're disappointed as it was a great event last year. We had a lot of new young members and volunteers from the event and it was a massive fundraising opportunity for our local groups too.

"Everyone did really well from the support of the community last year. Also, it's a shame to not be seen in the community. "

Mansfield BID has been approached for comment about the impact the event's cancellation will have on charities.

The celebrations in 2024 had previously been hailed as a "resounding success" by the organisation.

They had featured a parade of military personnel, musical performances, stalls, and vintage military vehicles for display.

Mansfield District Council confirmed the decision on whether to hold the event was not theirs to make.

A spokesperson said: "This event is led and organised by Mansfield BID."

"The council has supported the event throughout the years operationally in terms of town centre operative support, [and] clearing the market place/market stalls."

The authority added that it did not support the event financially, due to budgetary constraints.