Ringwood, Fordingbridge and Verwood Remembrance commemorations 2020

Commemorations were scaled down this year due to the coronavirus pandemic with smaller services held in Fordingbridge, Ringwood and Verwood.

The respective mayors of each town gathered for services to pay their respects and lay wreaths.

Fordingbridge mayor, Edward Hale said: "It was disappointing that the town could not commemorate Remembrance Day with a parade and a full service as usual, but I am grateful to Canon Gary Philbrick for arranging the short service at the Memorial Gates which marked the occasion appropriately at this time. Gary also arranged a recorded service which was available to watch online at 11am. My thanks to the bugler who attended from Hyde Band and played The Last Post and Reveille so well for us."

Picture by Derek Maidment

The mayor of Ringwood, Tony Ring said: "Many thanks are due to the people of Ringwood who followed Government guidelines on public gatherings for the Act of Remembrance conducted on 8 November. The few permitted to attend represented the many who no doubt wished to be present in solemn respect and silent remembrance of the fallen in both world wars and all conflict before and since.

"Many shops, businesses and individuals throughout the town have demonstrated support for the Poppy Appeal with appropriate displays of tribute materials and as always the War Memorial is awash with poppy constructs."

"We should congratulate ourselves on our communal discipline and look forward to 2021 when hopefully we will meet again to share remembrance in the form usual in Ringwood," he added.

The mayor of Verwood, Matthew Parker at the town's commemeorations on Remembrance Sunday.

Residents were invited to hold their own two minutes’ silence from their homes, with some services being made available to watch online.