Armed Forces Day funding confirmed for Morecambe event
Lancaster and Morecambe District Armed Forces Day has been awarded a share of over £430,000 by the Ministry of Defence.
The £430,000 grant funding has been awarded to 130 community groups and local authorities, including 10 in North West England, to mark Armed Forces Day on or around June 27.
The grants will help cover essential costs for local events that are designed to bring the public together with serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, reservists, and cadets.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: "Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe and we are deeply proud of the skill and courage they show every day.
"With even more successful grant applications this year, the momentum is building for a brilliant Armed Forces Day.
"I want to see people turning out in force this June to thank our personnel and their families who support them and get a real insight into how they keep us safe 24/7."
Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Rich Knighton said: “The support of the public matters deeply to the Armed Forces community. Seeing the country come together to host these events shows how much what we do matters to the public.”
North West England is home to more than 1,300 members of the UK Armed Forces.
The defence sector directly supported 20,100 industry jobs in the North West in 2023-24, and the Ministry of Defence spent £4.8 billion in British business and industry in the region in 2024-25.
The Ministry of Defence has worked to boost the number of Armed Forces Day events taking place this year in response to the Strategic Defence Review’s call to reconnect communities with the military and encourage a whole-of-society approach to defence.
The MOD has received 130 successful applications for grants – a 50% increase in funded events compared to last year.
Events planned for 2026 include major city gatherings, community sports days and large-scale civic celebrations.
Members of the public can use the searchable map on the Armed Forces Day website to find an event in their community at https://www.armedforcesday.org.uk/