Lord Mayor Safiya Saeed's speech at Armed Forces and Veterans Day in Sheffield

Lord Mayor of Sheffield Safiya Saeed's speech at Armed Forces and Veterans Day on June 21, 2025.

Transcript

00:00Ladies and gentlemen, veterans, serving personnel, cadet families and friends.

00:12Good afternoon and thank you for joining us here in Sheffield on this important occasion,

00:19Armed Forces Day 2025. Today we stand together to honour the brave men and women who served

00:28and have served His Majesty's Armed Forces. We pay tribute to their courage, their commitment

00:37and their sacrifices. They have made to keep our nation safe, uphold our freedoms and to promote

00:49peace around the world. This year holds special significance as we mark the 80th anniversary

00:58of VE Day and VJ Day, the days that brought an end to the most devastating conflict the world has ever

01:08known, the Second World War. In 1945, the world exhaled in relief as peace was declared first in Europe

01:21and then later in the Pacific. That peace came at a great cost and is it is in our Solomon duty never

01:33to forget the price paid by so many. Sheffield played the part. It's Sheffield its part

01:42with pride and resolve. Our steel works supplied the tools of war that helped secure victory and our people,

01:54men and women alike. Answer the call to all to serve, whether in uniform, in the factories or in the fields

02:05of medicine and care. The scars of Sheffield's blitz remain in our collective memory, a reminder of the strength

02:15and the resilience of this city. But today, we also acknowledge the contribution to our armed forces has

02:25come from all corners of our city, from every community, every background and every belief. Sheffield is proud

02:36diversity. Over the generation, people of Africa, Caribbean, South Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European

02:46heritage, among many others have worn the uniform with pride. Communities from across our city have served in

03:00conflicts past and present in Normandy and North Africa, in Korea, in Falkland, the Gulf of Afghanistan and beyond.

03:09Their services in Sheffield's services. Their sacrifice is Sheffield's sacrifice.

03:18And let us not forget the families, those who wait, who worry, who welcome home. The partners, the parents, the

03:29children and loved ones who strengthen is often unseen, but never unfelt.

03:36As a Lord Mayor, I am proud to say that Sheffield honours its armed forces, not only today, but every day.

03:47We are a city that stands with our veterans, that values our serving personnel,

03:56and that supports the next generation through our cadets and our and the community's outreach.

04:03Let us use today, this day, to remember, to remember with gratitude, to reflect with humanity,

04:13and to affirm our commitment to those who served.

04:20As we mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War, let us promise to carry their legacy forward,

04:28forward, not just in words, but in deeds, in the way we build fairer, more peaceful future for all.

04:36To all who serve, and to all who have served, we thank you. To the people of Sheffield,

04:48thank you for your enduring spirit, your compassion, and your unwavery support,

04:54and of our armed forces. Today, as a Lord Mayor, I tell you, I'm proud of you, and I'm proud of the city. Thank you.