Fun day raises cash for hero troops

Hundreds of people turned out to show their support for the military at a special event in Abingdon at the weekend.

The Abingdon Station Armed Forces Open Day included a series of displays performed by a range of acts, such as the Royal Logistic Corps and Morris dancers, the Herald Series reports.

Guests to Dalton Barracks were treated to a number of fairground attractions, paint-balling and go-karting at the free-admission gathering.

Collections were held for both the Army Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes charities throughout the day.

Duncan Brown, the local mayor, commented: "It was very good. The weather was glorious and the barracks put on a great show."

Joseph Collis, a local veteran who had joined the Royal Navy in 1935, was presented with the Armed Forces Day flag as part of the proceedings.

Armed Forces Day was the number two trending topic on social networking site Twitter during the event, eclipsing even the Fifa World Cup.

Posted by Trevor Smith