MVP Represented at Reading Minster Festival of Remembrance

On the evening of Saturday 3rd November, at the Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire and the Berkshire Branch of the Royal British Legion held a County Concert and Festival of Remembrance to commemorate the Centenary of the World War One Armistice.  As a local community group, the Mortimer Village Partnership were invited to attend this ceremony.  Mike and Gael Nicholls represented the MVP on the evening, with Mike also carrying out a duty as standard bearer for the ceremony. 

The Concert was led by the Woodley Concert Band and the Chapel Choir of St George's School, Ascot, and they played and sung popular arrangements of songs of the Great War such as 'It's a long way to Tipperary'. They also played 'Strike up the Band' and 'Pomp and Circumstance'.  The ceremony then moved onto Remembrance, with readings and prayers by multi-faith leaders of the community and an address from the Bishop of Oxford.  The Standards were paraded and then dipped during the exhortation and the lights dimmed, to show the Minster columns lit in red.  It was both beautiful and moving. Following the Reveille and Dedication, we sung 'I vow to thee my Country' and after singing The National Anthem, the Standards were paraded out of the Minster, which closed the evening event. 

Mike and Gael felt extremely privileged to be at this memorable event and want to thank the MVP most sincerely for being able to represent them and all the work they do for our community.

Gael Nicholls