Merseyside Police offer advice to thousands of visitors today for Armed Forces Day and the River Mer

Merseyside Police is today, Friday, 23 June, offering a warm welcome to the thousands of visitors heading to Liverpool this weekend (Saturday, 24 June-Sunday, 25 June) for Armed Forces Day and the River Festival, and offering advice to make sure they have a great time and enjoy the event safely.

Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Dave Charnock, said: "On Saturday the city will be honouring the work of our Armed Forces personnel as it hosts the national Armed Forces Day Celebrations between 11am and 5pm.

“The celebrations will be attended by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex who will be representing The Queen, senior political and military representatives, the Mayor of Liverpool and civic representatives, and hundreds of service personnel – both Regular and Reserve – from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force. Cadets and veterans will also attend.

“There will be a military parade that will march from St George’s Hall to the Pier Head and this will be supported by a host of other attractions including gun salutes, flypasts and displays including everything from planes, helicopters, diving equipment and rigid inflatable boats, to tanks, a field hospital, simulators and marching bands. The Royal Navy’s type 23 frigate, HMS Iron Duke, will also be docked in the city for the celebrations and the day will close with the military Beat Retreat. For full details of the celebrations, for full details of the day, head to www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/whats-on

He added: “The Armed Forces Day celebrations will be complemented by the city’s popular River Festival, which has grown in popularity year after year and attracts thousands of the visitors to the city, and will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

“The River Festival will be sited across Albert Dock, Salt house Dock, the paved area of The Strand, Mann Island and Dukes Dock and will host a wide range of activities. A number of vessels, including tall ships, will be sailing in to the city to take part in the event and will be open to visitors across both days. For full details and timings of the Mersey River Festival events, visit www.merseyriverfestival.co.uk, follow @Mersey festival on Twitter and Mersey River Festival on Facebook

"We want people to have a safe and enjoyable time and make sure the weekend is memorable for all the right reasons which is why we are offering some tips and advice to ensure everybody’s day out goes smoothly.

“Visitors to both events can help us by giving themselves plenty of time to get to the city, arriving in good time so they can make the most of the celebrations.

"Merseyside Police constantly reviews its staffing levels for any large-scale public events and visitors can expect to see high visibility policing throughout the weekend.

"They may also see an armed presence but I want to reassure them that this is not in response to any direct threat aimed at either of the events, but is part of the national response to recent events and will provide a visible reassurance for the thousands of people who will come to enjoy our fabulous city during the weekend."

Find out everything you need to know HERE