March Armed Forces Fair a major success
Organisers of the weekend's March Armed Forces Fair (MAFF) have been blown away by its success and are now considering whether it should become a more permanent feature in the town's calendar.
The fair held in West End Park, was two years in the making, and saw a huge array of stalls, charities and organisations linked to the armed services as well as other local groups come along and showcase what they had to offer.
As well as the more serious side of the event there were also some more fun activities including a visit by the team from the Dad's Army Museum in Thetford, as well as World War 1 displays.
There was a chance for those interested in a career with the armed services to chat to the various branches including the army.
Gemma Offer,the event's media officer, said: "We’ve had so much positive feedback about how the stewards and volunteers managed the event day professionally, how they were always on hand for help and guidance as well as how professional, smart, hard-working and helpful the Cambridgeshire Army Cadet’s in attendance were, many of whom adapted remarkably well to the tasks asked of them throughout the day.
"Many of the stall holders had great success in raising funds for their charities and likewise many of the Armed Forces Organisations were delighted to gain lots of prospective new members who wouldn’t have necessarily known about their organisations without this event.
"We would like to thank the organisers, volunteers and stewards who worked tirelessly non-stop over the weekend to bring the event together and make it the wonderful success that it was.
"I also spoke with people attending throughout the day who all commented positively about having a great time chatting to stall holders and having the opportunity to learn more about their local armed forces community. Many were astounded that for a free event so much was on offer by so many organisations."
Cambridgeshire Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Col Mark Knight commented: “The event was a great example of service family engagement. It was both enjoyable and informative for all age groups. Well done to the organisers."
Gemma added: "The act of remembrance that closed the day was extremely well attended. I’d like to thank Reverend Andrew Smith for delivering a heart-warming sermon, the 1220 March Air Cadets for providing a Drum Head, and all of the Armed Forces members, veterans and organisations that participated in the parade.
"The MAFF was initially intended as a one-off event however, as to whether it will become a more regular feature in the town's calendar, a decision is still yet to be made in the next few days by the Officer in Command (Nigel 'Spence' Spencer) and stewards during their de-brief."
To find out more and to see more images from the day visit the March Armed Forces Fair Facebook page.
