Veterans, cadets, and local figures turned out in force for a flag raising ceremony to finish off the Armed Forces Weekend in Weymouth and Portland.

The ceremony took place outside the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council building with dozens turning up to honour the armed forces as the sun shone overhead.

The ceremony was one of a number of its kind occurring all across the country at the same time to commemorate our armed forces and their sacrifice through history.

This included a ceremony by Dorset County Council outside County Hall in Dorchester.

It turned out the flag pole outside the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council building was out of action, but attendees kept calm and carried on by having members of the sea cadets unveiling the flag in front of the standard bearers.  

Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Kevin Brookes was delighted with how the ceremony went and was very pleased about the attendance for all the armed forces events which occurred over the weekend  

He said: “This one has broken all records as far as attendance goes.”   

He added: “I think this is the most standard bearers I have seen for a while so I am pleased about that.”

The mayor also said that Weymouth and Portland have now been doing the armed forces weekend for 23 years and was one of the first areas to sign up to do it.

This year the weekend had special importance because 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal from Aden in 1967, where British forces withdrew from the city in Yemen.

Bernard Watts, 77, is an Aden veteran who travelled nearly 300 miles from Grimsby to attend the weekend and the flag raising ceremony.

He said it was well worth the long journey and also that it was also good to stay for the ceremony to meet the mayor and other veterans again.

He thought that the sunny weather was an added bonus.

He said: “This year it was beautiful.”

Sea Cadets, Lauren and Sam, also enjoyed the ceremony and their part in it.

Lauren said: “It was an honour to unveil the flag.”

She added: “It is good to show respect and to show veterans that they are not forgotten.”

Poppy Butcher, Freeman of the Borough, who organised the 80-strong military vehicle parade on Saturday and Sunday, said the weekend as a whole was the best she had seen for some time.

She added: “Everything went so smoothly.”  

Steve Davies, events manager at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “It is a great way to end a fabulous armed forces weekend.”