The Isle of Man Post Office has issued special Normandy75 Coins, Stamps & Covers. From each sale a donation is made to the Spirit of Normandy Trust. The Trust is most grateful for this generous support.
Thank you to Kia Cars for their generous support for the veterans trip to France. Look out for us travelling around Normandy.
“TEA TENT: Open throughout the day (exact opening time TBC) Tea tent is as it was in 2014 D-Day 70 – left hand side thru the arch, on the road heading down towards the rear of the Museum.
Events on throughout the Day, including the lone piper at 7.26am
BRITISH PARADE: The main British parade starts earlier this year at 3.30pm. Veterans wishing to march in are invited to start lining up at the tea tent (NOT the Pappagal)at 3.00pm for a 3.15pm March in. Veterans can be pre-seated in the parade ground before hand if they want. Family of veterans who can’t be with them this year can also pre-seat in the Parade ground. Give the name of your Veteran to the Serving Brit Uniformed soldier at the entry point next to the car park barriers and you will be let in. PLEASE give priority to Veterans. Space is limited as there will be up to 400 VETERANS plus another 500 carers in the parade ground by the end of the event. Young people are very welcome. PLEASE do not move seats around – free space MUST be maintained each side and through the middle of the parade ground at all times – 300 Veterans plus 300 carers will be joining the parade half way through the afternoon.
PARKING: There are 2 main VETERAN Parking areas. First and closest is behind the Normandy Hotel. SEE Parking N°1 on the map. Drive your Veteran through the barrier on the road leading down to the rear of the museum, and take the LEFT FORK. There is a NEW parking area (with disabled access and general access) toilet facilities on your right hand side. The second parking is in the field at the bottom of the hill coming in from Bayeux, marked N°4 in the second map. Drive your veteran to the same barrier as above, and you will be let through to drop off your veteran at the Tea Tent. If the “Normandy” parking is full, you will be handed a pass to the second parking in the field, for the driver to go and park up, leaving the veteran in the tea tent with a friend or family member or one of the tea tent staff. The driver can then return from the field parking to access the parade ground using the same pass to show they are with a carer. DO NOT ON ANY ACCOUNT PARK ON THE ROAD – your vehicle WILL be removed – we have 15 tour buses of RBL Veterans arriving and parking in that area.
Other parking in Arromanches – this year we have created almost 10,000 car parking spaces around Arromanches. Parking N°4 is the alternative overflow parking for carers of veterans once the N°1 parking is filled.
VETERAN COACHES: PARKING N°9 – POST OFFICE
Limited coach parking for veterans’ coaches is available either side of the post office, but is only available with prior notice given.
IF YOUR GROUP IS COMING IN A COACH with one or more Veterans on board, YOU MUST TELL US NOW !
(please send an email to arromanches.dday75@gmail.com .)
WE NEED TO KNOW THE COACH Registration, and the number of veterans on board.
ALSO – your planned arrival time.
Coaches with NO veteran on board will be directed elsewhere – first option being the track opposite the 360° Cinema.
The quickest way of parking and unloading will be to follow the British Uniformed MP’s or Soldiers instruction at the POST OFFICE.
Park up where they tell you, unload and between you, assist the veterans to the parade ground or Tea Tent. Some Wheelchairs will be available if necessary.
PLEASE email arromanches.dday75@gmail.com to register your Veteran Coach, giving the coach registration Number/Operator, name of organisation/NVA Branch and planned time of arrival. ”
You will find 2 maps of the parking zones in Arromanches that the numbers above refer to attached.
Please read the attached two documents regarding travel restrictions in Normandy.
As you are aware, the Mairie of Colleville Montgomery wish to provide a light lunch for veterans after the 11am ceremony in front of Monty’s statue on 5th June 2019. They are aware of the high level of interest that has been expressed through SONT. Because this is a special anniversary there will inevitably be space constraints for the lunch and some veterans are travelling with a sizeable group of supporters. The Mairie request that veterans (or widows), with a carer, and immediate family members be given priority access to the lunch, they are catering for approximately 70. If this is oversubscribed, in order that others may have access to lunch, we have been assured that there is a local snack shop adjacent to the sea front where the veterans are lunching and they are being asked to have a good stock of sandwiches and snacks that can be purchased. There will also be a crepe van at the site to provide a variety of choice. The supermarket that is just down the road from the statue has been rebuilt following a major fire and will be open that day and we are told that they will have a wide variety of snacks and foods available. We appreciate that this may not be ideal and the Mairie are disappointed that they will not be in a position to accommodate everyone but we are sure that you will understand the reasons. The Mairie is providing, as they have done for many years, a vin d’honneur following the commemorations to which everyone attending the ceremony is invited. The Mairie and all of us at SONT are delighted at the great response and look forward to a well attended and meaningful time together.