In pictures: Remembrance in North Somerset

CLEVEDON’S seafront came to a stop while the annual Remembrance Day parade made its way through the town.

Organised by the town’s branch of the Royal British Legion, former servicemen and women gathered at the Salthouse Fields on Sunday afternoon along with dignitaries, air and army cadets, members of St John’s Ambulance and members of Clevedon’s scouting groups.

Led by the Avon Glen Pipe Band, the parade made its way to St Andrew’s Church for a service led by Reverend Terry Baillie.

Among those attending was North Somerset MP Dr Liam Fox and Clevedon Town Council chairman Chris Blades.

In Portishead, the town band was forced to pull out of the remembrance parade on Sunday morning after many of its members were affected by a sickness bug.

This left the band with no basses or trombones and only one horn, making it impossible to play the march. Despite this, the parade still went ahead.

Band chairman Dan Jones said: “We are devastated at letting Portishead down, we are honoured and proud to be asked to lead the march each year and it has been an important date in our calendar for many years. We called every player we knew to no avail we can only express our deep regret.”

In Backwell, a plaque in memory of Major Matthew Collins, who grew up in the village, was dedicated on Friday. The 38-year-old, whose mother works at Backwell School, was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on March 23.

At Backwell School, 1,800 pupils and staff members also gathered to hold a two-minute silence together on the poignant day for the school.

* To see more pictures of the Clevedon Festival of Remembrance visit our online gallery by clicking the link at the top right of this story.