Toy cars and Christmas lists weren’t the only things on the minds of youngsters across the UK last Sunday. Well, at least not for 3-year-old Henry.
In honour of the service and sacrifice of the British Armed Forces during the First and Second World Wars, the community of Aborfield fell silent for two minutes with the rest of the nation on Remembrance Sunday.
And those who attended included Project Manager for the Arborfield Cross Relief Road project Matt Parkes and the arguably youngest member of the gathering, his three-year-old son Henry.
Accompanied by his father, the junior citizen laid down a poppy wreath in respect of those who died, setting a shining example for youngsters across the country and giving hope for the continued honour of the Fallen in generations to come.
Matt Parkes said: “Remembrance Sunday is a historic date in the British calendar and it was our pride and honour to be part of this ceremony. It was great for Henry to be part of a day which is important to me and so many others.”
The success of the event can also be credited to leading infrastructure group Balfour Beatty who arranged temporary traffic management prior to the event which helped to avoid congestion during the ceremony.
The event was organised and supported by: Arborfield & Barkham Family of Churches, Arborfield & Barkham Parish Councils with the Arborfield, Barkham & District Branch of the Royal British Legion and the Military Wives Choir, Arborfield.
Major Trevor Bowman from The British Army, based in Andover in Hampshire said: “We would like to express our thanks to Balfour Beatty for their very positive and proactive help in enabling the Arborfield and Barkham Remembrance Parade 2019.
“The traffic control points, signage and active parade participation allowed for a safe and successful parade to take place with approximately 1500 people in attendance.
“Without their help the costs to the charity would have been considerable to the detriment of assistance that is provided to veterans from our limited funding.”
He added: “We are extremely grateful for the support you have given us over the last two years and we hope that you will be able to help us again in the future.
“That said, we would like to arrange to make a presentation of a certificate of appreciation to your team at a date that we can jointly agree on.”
The remembrance gathering occurred at a pause in The Arborfield Cross Relief Road (ACRR) project which is one of eight such projects making up the overall £124mn Wokingham Major Highways Project.
Once complete, the new 2.3km relief road will reduce congestion, boost employment and create opportunities for more sustainable travel, providing traffic relief in Arborfield and Arborfield Cross and the surrounding rural lanes.
The new road-which will link the A327 Reading Road to the A327 Eversley Road-will also support the development of Arborfield Strategic Development site, consisting of 3,500 new homes.
