A Massed Pipes and Drums Parade, from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Park, launches the DecAid Appeal to support members of the armed forces after 10 years in Afghanistan. HRH The Duchess of Rothesay, Royal Patron of the DecAid Appeal, will be attending.
DecAid is a national appeal which aims to raise over £350,000 for three service charities; Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA Forces Help), The British Limbless Ex-Servicemen Association (BLESMA) and Talking 2 Minds.
The Massed Pipes and Drums event will be the first of six high profile events running during the summer of 2011 which DecAid is coordinating. DecAid aims to increase awareness, particularly among younger members of the UK population, of the work and involvement of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan. Over half of the British Forces that have been killed in the conflict have been aged between 18 and 25. To recognise this all of the DecAid events will be organised by volunteers under the age of 25.
The parade down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Park, will be led by the National Youth Pipe Band. It will be a spectacular event and involve over 400 people. The Massed Pipes and Drums event will take place on the final day of the national celebration of the armed forces in Edinburgh in conjunction with Armed Forces Day.
Other activities running on Sunday 26th June 2011 will include a fair held in Holyrood Park, a massed British Military Fitness session, performances from Scotland’s hottest up-and-coming talent in a showcase of DecAid’s Battle of the Bands finalists and an army style assault course for all those who want to get involved.
There will also be the opportunity to join young graduates from SELEX Galileo and help them cycle the distance of 400 miles from Edinburgh to London on static bikes in support of DecAid.
DecAid events throughout 2011 include:
- The opening ceremony, a spectacular ‘Massed Pipes and Drums’ event, on 26th June 2011, which will see 2,011 musicians leave Edinburgh Castle at 11.45am and march along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, in conjunction with the Armed Forces Day events.
- The team are also looking for any other youth organisations who would like to be part of the parade.
- ‘The Munro Mission’: a small team will be climbing all 283 Munros (mountains in Scotland over 3,000ft) in just 49 days without the use of any motorised transport. They will start on 1st August and finish the challenge on Sunday 18th September.
- ‘The Ride 2 Remember’: static bike race from London to Kabul on 24th and 25th September 2011
- ‘The Big Tow’: vehicles will be towed around Rockingham race track in a tri-service competition on 18th September 2011.
- ‘Stretched to the Limit’: On 14th August 2011 30 teams will attempt the arduous trek up Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales, carrying a heavy stretcher.
- The DecAid events will culminate in October 2011 with a ‘Light for Life’ ceremony in Salisbury Cathedral, which will mark the 10th Anniversary of the War in Afghanistan.