Remembrance parades planned for Oadby & Wigston

Published: Monday, 6 November 2023

Residents of Oadby & Wigston are being encouraged to come out and support the borough’s Remembrance parades this November.

The parades and church services, which will take place in Wigston and Oadby on Remembrance Sunday (12 November), are a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.

The Wigston parade, organised by Oadby & Wigston Borough Council (OWBC), starts at 10.30am. The parade will travel from Elizabeth Court (opposite Peace Memorial Park) to All Saints’ Church and will be followed by a Remembrance Service inside the church. Wigston Conservative Club in Long Street will be open after the parade and service for refreshments.

The Oadby parade, organised by the Oadby Royal British Legion, will take place at 2pm. The parade route is different from last year and will travel from Sandhurst Street car park and along the Parade until it reaches St Peter’s Church, where a service will take place.

A Remembrance Service will also be held at St Thomas the Apostle Church in South Wigston from 10am on Sunday 12 November, with the Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial on Blaby Road at 10.55am.

Road closures will be in place around all Remembrance Sunday events, so motorists are being advised to plan their journeys accordingly.

Remembrance Day itself will also be marked with a service, which will take place at 11am on Saturday 11 November at Peace Memorial Park, Wigston, organised by OWBC. All are welcome to attend.

Community groups or individuals who wish to participate in the parades should contact communications@oadby-wigston.gov.uk so that this can be arranged.

Bill Boulter, Chair of the OWBC Armed Forces Working Group, said: “Parades and services across Oadby & Wigston were very well supported last year and we hope to see more of the same this year.

“It’s of the utmost important that we continue to remember and pay our respects to the fallen and Oadby & Wigston will once again put on a fitting tribute that we can all be proud of.”

Ian Morton, Chair of Oadby Royal British Legion, said: “We are delighted to be organising Oadby’s parade again this year. We have a new route this year, with the parade starting in Sandhurst Street before heading right through the centre of town down through the Parade.

“It’d be great to have as many people as possible from the local community lining that route and supporting the parade on this special and poignant day.”