It is with a heavy heart that Littlehampton Town Council have taken the difficult decision to cancel our annual Armed Forces Day event that was due to take place on Saturday 27th June 2020.

The decision that the event will not go ahead as planned was not taken lightly. Representatives of Littlehampton Town Council have been continually monitoring the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and government advice surrounding events and have considered the additional pressure any large event puts on the emergency services. The safety of the public, our contractors and staff are paramount and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty it would be unsafe to continue to pursue the planning and holding of the event.

Littlehampton Town Council have taken the necessary steps to minimise the financial loss as a result of the cancellation and will work closely with contractors to prevent any impact this may have on their business. We would like to thank all of our contractors for their assistance and co-operation during these uncertain times.

The Chair of the Community Resources Committee, Councillor Billy Blanchard-Cooper said: “The decision to cancel the event is a great disappointment to us all, however, public health must and always will come first. I would like to thank all our key workers who are doing a wonderful job in the current exceptional issues facing the country. I wish you all well over this difficult period.”

Wes Smart of event sponsor Harbour Park said: ‘‘Harbour Park are fully supportive of the difficult decision to cancel Armed Forces Day. We would like to thank everybody involved in the planning of Armed Forces Day who work so hard to make the event happen each year. Harbour Park look forward to returning as sponsors of the event once again in June 2021.’’

Littlehampton Town Council were very much looking forward to welcoming you all to the 12th Armed Forces Day event, with a line-up full of fantastic performers and groups that were certain to make it a day to remember. We look forward to welcoming you back to the event in 2021. In the meantime, we urge members of the public to follow NHS advice and seek information from legitimate sources such as https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus