As this year’s normal Armed Forces Day in June was postponed due to the pandemic, a service has been organised at the Villa Marina this Sunday at 5pm.

It will be led by the Archdeacon of Mann, the Venerable Andrew Brown, with musical backing by the Cathedral Choir.

Lt. Governor Sir Richard Gozney will be in attendance, and all the island’s main churches will be signing the Armed Forces Covenant - binding them to ’support the military and their families’.

But the Manx event, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, is unique in that the covenant, signed by hundreds of UK organisations, has never before been signed by ’such a combination of religious organisations’.

The ceremony will be followed by tea for veterans and their families and a concert - including the Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band, the Blue Train Swing Band and Dancers and The Southern Belles.

Finally, local singer Mandy Griffin will sing ’Land of Hope and Glory’ and ’Rule Britannia’.