“Respect and admiration for the Armed Forces” was the message surrounding the official Armed Forces Day flag raising that took place across the country this week.

At 10 am on Monday, Aspire Defence took part in a Wiltshire-wide flag raising to mark the countdown to the Armed Forces Day national event, taking place in Salisbury from tomorrow.

In a speech given at the Aspire Business Centre in Tidworth, Mark Carr, managing director of Aspire Defence Services, stated that the flag-raising event “serves to underline the respect we have for all servicemen and women.”

“To all Service personnel, Army, Navy and Air Force: we salute you,” he said.

The official Armed Forces Day flag was raised at the company’s Wiltshire headquarters by Tom Forster, an employee of Aspire Defence Services Limited who recently joined the army as a Reservist. Over eighty members of staff attended, along with invited representatives of Tidworth Garrison and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

During the Armed Forces Day national event, Aspire Defence is hosting a marquee on Hudson’s Field with family activities, giveaways and competitions, including the chance to win a family day out at Longleat. A virtual reality activity will be running alongside a variety of vehicles on display. Aspire Defence is also sponsoring headline act The Feeling, who will be taking to the main stage on Friday night. Visit the website - http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/salisbury-afd

Mark added: “The flag raising was an excellent start to such a significant event for Wiltshire, and Aspire Defence continues to be a very proud supporter of the Armed Forces.”