By In 2018, Blighty Bear joined the Armed Forces Major Events Team in Cleethorpes.
Since then, he’s been a stalwart of events in the borough, taking part in everything from beach cleans to parades. He’s also been out on visits to Portsmouth, Coningsby, Newcastle and he was lucky to escape from the Army / Navy annual rugby match at Twickenham with his fur intact!
Blighty is a combined services bear, serving the Navy, Army and RAF, promoting the UK armed forces across the globe.
Blighty’s role in Cleethorpes involves community engagement, which sees him visiting local schools and events, educating children on the role of the military, both past and present.
As a military representative, Blighty has also been used to promote recruitment to future service men and women, informing the younger members of our communities of the purpose and services of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.
You can see Blighty next at the Armed Forces Day celebrations in Cleethorpes again from 28-30 June this year with the largest, free event on the east coast! Be sure to give him a warm welcome and a wave. If you would like to have your photo taken with Blighty, keep your eyes peeled over the weekend as he’ll be popping out at various times to meet and greet you all.
And not only that, you can now own your own Blighty. Three versions of Blighty will be available to purchase from the information and sales tent in Strike Wing Memorial Gardens (near Ross Castle) over the weekend – in Army, Navy and RAF uniforms – at a cost of £19.95. Money raised from the sale of the bears will be ploughed back in to the Armed Forces event and the new Hive which will be based in The Knoll for veterans outreach services.
To keep up to date on the details of the Armed Forces Weekend as they are announced, visit http://www.armedforcesnortheastlincolnshire.events or the Armed Forces Cleethorpes Facebook page.
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