Coronavirus update
New national restrictions come into force in England from Thursday 5 November. People should undertake individual acts of remembrance at home or access virtual services being streamed locally or nationally.
Armistice Day is on Wednesday, 11 November and is also known as Remembrance Day.
It marks the day World War One ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918. A two-minute silence is held at 11am to remember the people who have died in wars. There is also Remembrance Sunday every year and this year it falls on Sunday, 8 November.
The National Service of Remembrance on the 8 November at the Cenotaph will, for the first time in history, be closed to members of the public due to the pandemic. The service is expected to go ahead and the public are urged to remember all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice by coming together for a national moment of silence at 11am as the service is broadcast nationwide on BBC One, Sky and ITV.
Northamptonshire
Kettering
Kettering’s Remembrance Day commemorations will be celebrated on Sunday, 8 November.
The Royal British Legion’s Kettering Branch, working with the support of Kettering Borough Council, will facilitate a short, private Service of Remembrance with specific guests from local organisations laying wreaths.
The event will by invitation only, but it will be Live Streamed on YouTube from 1:30pm on Sunday 8 November 2020 so that the public can watch it in the safety of their own home. The event will be available to watch live on This is Kettering’s YouTube channel.
The Memorial Gardens in Kettering shall be open as normal to the public, who wish to pay their respects in private, before 12pm and after 2.15pm on Sunday 8th November. The gates to the gardens will be closed in between these times to facilitate the small, private event.
East Northants
Remembrance events across the district are organised locally between The Royal British Legion and the town and parish councils.
Northampton
"Remember from Home" is Northampton Borough Council’s message to the town, which will host a packed programme of events that will be streamed live in the morning of 8 November.
The town’s Remembrance Day 2020 schedule will kick off with a pre-recorded broadcast of a socially distanced parade from the Army Reserve Centre, Clare Street.
Due to government guidelines, a strictly invite-only service will then take place at All Saints Church led by Father Oliver Coss - this will be broadcast live for viewers at home.
A two-minute silence will be observed at 11am in tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for their country. This is followed by a Northampton Remembers video montage featuring contributions from the public, Armed Forces and Royal British Legion, among others.
Members of the public who would like to submit videos, photographs or memories in honour of local Veterans can do so by emailing
Remembrance2020@northampton.gov.uk
Northampton General Hospital
The hospital is creating a Wall of Remembrance along Hospital Street (the main corridor running through the hospital) and this will be decorated with poppies that have been coloured, crocheted or knitted using the Royal British Legion "Every Poppy Counts" template - all by our amazing staff and their families. The display will be on display from Friday 6 November until Thursday 12 November.
Wellingborough
This year’s Remembrance Day service and parade will unfortunately not take place due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation.
Residents wishing to share their individual acts of remembrance are encouraged to share their images and videos on the Borough of Wellingborough Twitter feed (@BCWboro) or Facebook page.
A council spokesperson said: "We recognise the importance of this event to many in the town, but urge residents not to gather in large groups for their own safety. Instead, we ask that in these unprecedented circumstances, individual acts of remembrance take place."
"The Mayor of the Borough and a small civic party will pay their respects at a separate private wreath laying."
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion is at the heart of Remembrance commemorations and the Legion has produced a set of suggested activities that ensure adherence to Covid-19 rules. Here are a few suggestions for those wishing to undertake Remembrance activities:
- Have a small Remembrance service in your garden
- Use virtual meeting platforms to host an online Remembrance service or activity
- Set-up a community Remembrance forum to discuss different residents’ Remembrance stories
- Create an online exhibition of Remembrance related photos from local residents that schools or others could use to discuss local Remembrance activities