Light Dragoons regiment homecoming and freedom parade

Members of the Light Dragoons will be welcomed back ‘home’ to Barnsley on Monday, 7 December with a Homecoming and Freedom Parade, after a gruelling six month tour of duty in Helmond Province, Afghanistan.

Residents are invited to join over 1,000 local school children and town centre businesses to show their appreciation and support for the work of one of ‘our’ regiments and also take a moment to reflect and remember those who won’t be returning.

The parade, which will last around 40 minutes, will start from Churchfield at 12.15pm. It will be led by the Band of the Light Cavalry – some 200 troops – and supported by military vehicles. The route will travel along Church Lane, Church Street, the town hall for speeches, a presentation and inspection. At this point there will also be a one minute pause for reflection and to remember the six members of the regiment who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The parade will then march down Market Hill, Cheapside, New Street, Wellington Street, Peel Square, May Day Green, Eldon Street and Market Hill, then back to the town hall to allow the civic party to take a salute. The parade will then be dismissed and the troops will attend a private civic reception hosted by the mayor.

As part of the security and crowd management arrangements necessary for one of the largest parades the town centre has seen for some years, people are asked to note:

The parade, which will start at 12.15pm, is expected to last for around forty minutes.

• Churchfield, Lancaster Gate and St. Mary’s car parks will be closed.
• The following roads will be closed from 10.30am – Churchfield, Church Lane, Church Street, Market Hill, Queen Street, Cheapside, New Street, Wellington Street, Peel Square, May Day Green, Eldon Street, Shambles Street and St Mary’s Place – with diversion routes advised locally.
• All on-street parking along the route will be suspended from 6am Monday morning.