Remembrance Sunday parade in Fife cancelled because of COVID restrictions

Coronavirus restrictions on numbers allowed to gather at an event have led to the organisers, the Royal British Legion, taking the difficult decision to confirm an unprecedented cancellation.

Only six members will place wreaths at the memorial on November 11.

Everyone else will be asked to observe the minute’s silence in their own homes.

It is the first Remembrance Sunday not to go ahead in living memory - and it is the first in Fife to be cancelled under COVID restrictions.

Numbers attending have grown in recent years with several schools joining the march from the Town House to the War Memorial Gardens where many wreaths are laid on behalf of a wide range of local organisations.

Current Scottish Government guidelines limit numbers attending any event to 200 - and Kirkcaldy’s gathering is much larger than that.

Jim Paterson, branch secretary, said " It is with regret that we have had to cancel our annual service at Kirkcaldy War Memorial.

“It’s important that we avoid putting the public at risk during this pandemic so there will be no organised event this year.

New book reveals 111 unique places to see in Fife'56 hours of hell' at Mossmorran as concerns labelled 'legitimate' by...

“We have agreed that six members will mark the occasion and will lay our wreath at 11 o’clock, but there will be no march and no service.”

He added: “We would appeal to those who want to lay a wreath to be aware of social distancing and try to attend anytime after 11.

"Hopefully for this year only, we recommend that people pay their respects and observe silence in the comfort of their own home, and avoid creating a crowd on the day."

The reception held in the Adam Smith Theatre, which followed the ceremony, has also been cancelled.

Councillor Neil Crooks, Kirkcaldy Area Committee convener, said "The Scottish Government advice is very clear and sadly we won’t all be paying our respects in the normal way this year.

“It’s the right decision given the current restrictions to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and we need to let the public know about the change."

Decisions have yet to be confirmed on other Remembrance Sunday events, held in towns across the Kingdom.

Thank you for reading this story on our website. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, we are asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper. Thank you.