Among the many things I love about the Moorlands are our wonderful Remembrance Sunday events. Since moving back to the area, I have been attending Remembrance events in Leek or Biddulph every year, and have always found them to be very memorable and dignified affairs. I am so proud that we in the Moorlands pay such fitting tributes to those who fell in war, and I would like to thank everyone who took part in organising the occasions across the Moorlands this weekend.
For me, this remembrance Sunday was a little different from usual. One of my official roles as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport was to host the national remembrance events at the Cenotaph in London; hence I had to be in the capital, rather than in my constituency, for the day. It was a huge honour to attend the event, and it was humbling to see the crowds –20-deep – lining the streets of Whitehall. Watching veterans and current servicemen of all ages and from all across the country paying respects to our war dead was an incredibly moving experience, and an important mark of respect for those who died for our freedom. This year is the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and thinking of the thousands who died on that terrible first day added a particular poignancy to the occasion.
Commemorating and celebrating the lives of fallen soldiers is an integral part of our cultural heritage, and I am so proud that 97 years after the first Remembrance Day was marked, people from all across Britain are still turning out in huge numbers to join together in remembrance.