Freedom of the Borough Parade

At its Annual Council meeting in May, Surrey Heath Borough Council approved a formal motion that given the longstanding links between the Borough, the Ministry of Defence and Frimley Park Hospital, and in recognition of the extraordinary service provided during the pandemic, the Freedom of the Borough be conferred on all ranks of the Joint Hospital Group (South East).

The Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour that a local authority can bestow on a military organisation and allows them the privilege of marching on ceremonial occasions with colours flying, bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed.

To receive the Freedom, the Joint Hospital Group will parade through Camberley town centre led by a military marching band and will be accompanied by representation from the Frimley and Camberley Cadet Corps.

The public are warmly welcomed to line the parade route to help celebrate this historic occasion and say thank you to military medical personnel both past and present.

The Parade will set off from the War Memorial Gate of the Royal Military Academy at 12.10pm and is anticipated to last around an hour, including a break for speeches and presentations in front of Surrey Heath House on Knoll Road.

The parade will march down Park Street, Pembroke Broadway, a section of Portesbery Road and Knoll Road before stopping in front of Surrey Heath House to receive speeches and presentations. The parade will then march again, turning onto St George’s Road, down the High Street, left onto Portesbery Road and Knoll Road for a second time before offering a salute on the second pass of Surrey Heath House. The parade will then march back to the gates of the Royal Military Academy.

You can view a map of the route here

To allow the parade to move safely through the town a number of road closures and road blocks will be in place around the route between 12noon – 1.30pm, managed by an accredited traffic management company and supported by Surrey Police. Closures will be lifted once the parade has safely passed each part of the route. Parking suspensions will also be in place on Princess Way West (09:00 to 12:30), High Street (09:00 to 13:30), St George’s Road (09:00 to 13:30), Knoll Road (09:00 to 13:30) on 12 September to ensure the route is kept clear of vehicles.

We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

Town Centre car parks include:

• Main Square Car Park, GU15 3RP
• Atrium Car Park, GU15 3EY
• Knoll Road Car Park, GU15 3TA

Please note that entry and exit from car parks will not be possible while road closures are in place.

If you are driving into Camberley for this event, it is essential you arrive before 12 noon as you may otherwise be unable to access the car parks.

The nearest toilets will be available in The Square shopping centre.

We hope you will support this historic event. Should you require further information please email ben.sword@surreyheath.gov.uk

www.surreyheath.gov.uk/