LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial Team March 2025 Update

March has been quietly busy for the Memorial Project with the artists from Abraxas Academy being head down in final detailed plans, drawings and digital models to confirm the structural requirements of the Memorial and its base.

All the cutting plans are ready for the letter and the order for the sheet of bronze will shortly be placed with the fabricator. The final tweaks to the stone cutting plans for the base are being made so that should also be ordered shortly.

The artists from Abraxas Academy, Roly for Fighting With Pride and the groundworks contractor will shortly meet at The National Memorial Arboretum. This is for the next, small, but important step to confirm the exact location of the memorial within the plot of ground approved by the Arboretum, and how the letter will be orientated relative to the other memorials.

At this time, we still cannot confirm an exact date for the official dedication ceremony. Negotiations for VIP guests are ongoing but still on target for a date in the latter half of October. As you are aware, the intention of Lord Etherton’s recommendation is for as many veterans impacted by the ban as possible to be present at the dedication. As members of the committee formed by the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) and MOD to organise the ceremony, we are ensuring that message remains a priority during initial planning.

As previously mentioned, there will be an opportunity for a limited number of veterans and serving personnel local to the region, to meet the artists and local media, at their studios in Kings Lynn, as part of the documentation of the project. Lord Etherton himself will be present, wanting to meet the artists and veterans to hear their opinions of what is being delivered. We expect this visit to happen late mid-May. To prepare for this we would love any of you from the East of England, preferably within the catchment of BBC Look East, to register their interest in attending by emailing [email protected]