Celebrate Armed Forces Week in Solihull Town Centre with a week of community spirit, music, and remembrance. Enjoy a vintage tea party, live music, local choirs and a community art workshop, with activities for all ages, as we come together to honour our armed forces past and present.
22nd to 28th June
THURSDAY 25TH JUNE
11am - 3pm - Vintage afternoon tea within Poplar Way, by Sainsbury’s. Visitors will be able to buy tea and cake and join the veteran community attending, along with current serving military personnel. Helen Pearson will entertain guests singing traditional songs from days gone by. Helen will be performing twice, once at 12 midday and once at 1.15 pm.
FRIDAY 26TH JUNE
11am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm - Poplar Way, Mell Square: Meet Poet Emily Holtom and view the ‘Our Freedom’ display.
Our Freedom: Then & Now is a UK-wide project which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Working with communities in Knowle we have explored creativity, connection, and local heritage, inviting residents, veterans, and young people to re ect on what freedom means today through photographs and poetry. Poems and photographs created by residents of Knowle with poet Emily Holtom and photographer Stephen Burke. The project in Knowle has been led by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council with photography organisation GRAIN Projects, poet Emily Holtom and photographer Stephen Burke.
SATURDAY 27TH JUNE
10am - The Core Theatre (meet point): Join Tracey Williams, Solihull Council’s archivist and local studies librarian, for a 90-minute guided walk of Solihull town centre looking at Solihull’s military links. The tour is free to attend but advance booking is essential. See: www.solihulllife.org for further details and to book a place. Tickets will be available from 7th June.
10am - 3pm - Touchwood, Jubilee Walk. Community mosaic creation with Art at the Heart. Join us to add your touch to this celebratory artwork in honour of the occasion. Open to all ages, free to attend, no booking required.
11am - 2pm - Solihull Air Training Corps Cadets will be on hand on the High Street near to Metro Bank between 11am and 2pm to showcase their work, talk to prospective new recruits, and give an overview on the activity and bene ts of being within the Corps.
Ashby Little Big Band will be performing on the High Street near to Metro Bank at the following times12.30pm -1.15pm
1.45pm - 2.30pm
3.30pm - 4.15pm
1.30pm - Touchwood, Theatre Square: Armed Forces community singsong featuring Anya Small and West End Voices.
