At a Borough Council meeting last night, councillors voted unanimously to honour the county's regiment with the Freedom of the Borough. The Duke of Lancaster's regimental secretary, Colonel Amlot was given a standing ovation by councillors and officers present.
Adrian Owens, the Deputy Leader of the Borough Council who initiated the idea with the council in January following correspondence with a local resident said, “This is our small way of recognising the brave men and women of our county’s Regiment and those in the wider armed forces, who put their lives on the line, and sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice, to keep Britain safe. Seven soldiers from the Regiment have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year alone. Once, operational timetables permit, we plan a public parade and march past for the troops in Ormskirk, hopefully on a Saturday next September. Local troops from West Lancashire will be among the soldiers on parade.”
Cllr Owens added that the idea had generated wide support in the planning stage. “When I took the idea to the Leader and Chief Executive they were 100% supportive and the Labour leader has given his support too. This isn’t about the rights or wrongs of any particular armed conflict but about West Lancashire publicly recognising the courage and dedication of the troops of our county regiment. I’m sure the streets of Ormskirk will be crowded with local people during the march past as support for our Armed Forces is very high.”