Territorial Army paratroopers will mark Armed Forces Day by marching through Leeds city centre on their homecoming parade from operations in Afghanistan

Millennium Square will play host to 4th Battalion Parachute Regiment on Sunday (26th June) where many events and activities to mark Armed Forces Day will be held.

Armed Forces Day is an annual opportunity for members of the public to show support for not only those serving but also veterans and cadets. It also provides a valuable morale boost for troops, currently still serving on operations, and their families.

The Day has been organised by Leeds City Council’s Arts and Regeneration team which creates opportunities for people to take part in the cultural life of their city and lead the way in regeneration through the arts.

Activities will start at 11.00 am in Millennium Square and the parade will take place at 1.00 pm. The Lord Mayor of Leeds will join representatives from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force and music will be provided by the Band of The Parachute Regiment.

There will be a variety of stalls, a display of Army vehicles and a fly past by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Members of the public are also invited to attend a service at Leeds Parish Church at 3.00 pm where veterans and members of the cadet forces will be marching into the church and placing their standards.

The 4th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (4 PARA) is the Reserve Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, with a reputation of being one of the finest, toughest, fighting forces in the world. Paratroopers are the Army’s airborne infantry deploying by parachute, helicopter, sea or land as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade.

4 PARA has provided more soldiers for recent operations than any other reserve Battalion of its size and regularly provides individuals and occasionally formed sub-units in support of 16 Air Assault Brigade. It has a national footprint with units in London, Newcastle, Scotland and Leeds. Leeds remains the Battalion headquarters and the unit has many historical links with the region.

Originally formed in 1942 in Derby, 4 PARA has a fine fighting tradition from the battle of Arnhem, to more recent conflicts with peacekeeping roles in Bosnia , Kosovo, Sierra Leone, to the complexities of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.