Visitors to this year's Armed Forces Day in Stockton are set to experience a packed programme of events set in the new Stockton Waterfront urban park.

Armed Forces Day: A Community Celebration will be the Borough's first event to be celebrated in the new urban park when visitors are welcomed on Saturday 20 June - it will stage a spectacular programme of events and community celebrations honouring our armed forces, past, present and future.

The much-loved annual event will be enhanced this year with special activities in the urban park for all the family to enjoy, including a showcase of military vehicles and a fun fair on the riverside with a 22-metre-high Ferris Wheel.

As part of this programme, Stockton has been chosen as a location to host to a ceremonial flypast by the famous RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Armed Forces Day recognises the work that members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, as well as veterans, cadets and armed forces families all play in keeping the UK safe, at home and abroad.

The new spaces in the urban park including Finkle Square, The Oval Lawn and the area near to the riverside will be buzzing with traditional wartime musical performances, exhibitions and demonstrations and an open-air thanksgiving service in the new Amphitheatre.

Armed Forces Day kicks off a packed events programme in Stockton-on-Tees this year and will showcase the scale and ambition of what the waterfront and its spaces will offer residents, visitors and businesses.

The urban park opens up Stockton High Street, connecting it to the River Tees through a land bridge structure, spanning Riverside Road and providing uninterrupted access to the riverside.

As well as flexible events spaces, the park also includes three large-scale play areas for families and children and beautiful gardens, offering relaxing and quiet spaces for walking and reflection.

This marks the completion of a five-year journey of transformation in Stockton Town Centre, following the demolition of Castlegate Shopping Centre and the Swallow Hotel, which took place from 2022.

Councillor Lisa Evans, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Leader and the Borough's Armed Forces Champion, said: "Armed Forces Day is a great opportunity for the people of the Borough to join us in honouring all the brave men and women currently serving our country.

"It's vitally important that we never forget the selfless commitment, endeavour and sacrifice of our Armed Forces to keep us safe at home and abroad. Showing your support provides a much-valued morale boost for military personnel and their families.

"This year's event in Stockton is set to be extremely popular. We're expecting thousands of people to head to the town for this a vibrant, community outdoor celebration. I am also looking forward to seeing our fantastic local businesses benefit from this occasion and the wider economic benefits that the urban park and events like this will bring to the town centre.

"Stockton Waterfront urban park will be a place for the whole community and a space for them to make their own, I truly can't think of a better event to launch this fantastic new space, so make sure to come along!"