Armed Forces Day brings 60,000 to Newtownards to celebrate brave heroes who keep us safe - plus thrills and spills from Red Arrows and daring parachute team

That’s more than double the population of the Co Down town, with huge crowds of people lining the streets for a military parade and thrilling to the derring-do of the Red Arrows and the RAF’s parachute display team in a pair of air shows.

Town centre shops entered into the spirit of the event, decking out their storefronts with bunting as flag-waving crowds cheered serving members of the army, navy and air force plus cadets and veterans during their morning march through the heart of the town during and out to the main venue for the day’s festivities, Ards Airfield.

The huge airfield was transformed into what for many seemed like a massive military-themed fairground or festival, offering family-friendly fun as well as informing the public about life serving king and country.

Of course, the day offered its poignant moments as the fallen were remembered and serving heroes respected – a crowd of tens of thousands spontaneously joining in with a military band’s rendition of the national anthem to honour the troops won’t be easily forgotten by anyone who was there.

But with a military village offering demonstrations of vehicles, weaponry and equipment, plus child-friendly STEM tents providing entertainment and information, and food and craft stalls offering local produce amid blazing sunshine, it was difficult to escape the feeling of a friendly and buoyant summer fair writ remarkably large.

With more than double the population of the town making their way to their airfield, people by definition had to come from far and wide – such as Caroline Cairns, from the Armagh area, who was there with her young daughters.

“I wanted to be here as I’ve family members who served,” she told the News Letter, “but it’s also a great day out for me and the girls. There’s a lot to do and a lot to see, and such a great atmosphere.”

Of course, the big draw was the Red Arrows. The RAF’s aerobatics team gave their only performance in Northern Ireland for this year over Ards Airfield, nine daring pilots wowing the crowd with intertwining spirals, corkscrews and a death-defying airbrake – shooting high into the sky en masse against 6G force, only to sharply pivot and swoop back down at high speed.

A series of close passes and expert formation flying, mixed in with their signature red, white and blue smoke trails, had tens of thousands rapt for the full 23-minute duration of their military-precision show.

The day also saw the air force’s Falcons drop in. The parachute display team fell from 5,000 feet to deliver the Armed Forces Flag straight into the heart of the airfield, weaving in and around each other as they showed just how acrobatic it’s possible to be when plummeting to earth, with only a Union Flag-themed piece of nylon to slow one’s descent.

Demonstrating that life in the services isn’t all discipline and duty, Northern Ireland’s top man in the RAF, Air Marshal Sean Reynolds, proved himself an ace with a frying pan – comfortably trouncing Ards and North Down’s Mayor, Gillian McCollum, in a Bake Off style contest to see who could rustle up the better omelette.

But did the mayor ‘omelette’ him win? Not at all, she told the News Letter: “He told me he was a dab hand with a pan; I didn’t want to him know that I haven’t cooked an omelette since Home Economics class, and that’s a few decades ago now. At this stage, only confidence could have carried it off.”

For Ms McCollum, though, the sheer size of the crowd at Armed Forces Day made the most impact on her.

“I’ve found the day really moving at times, and exhilarating at others,” she said.

“We guesstimate there are 55,000 to 60,000 people here. The community [in Newtownards] has always embraced the armed forces, their families and the wider society around the forces – but it’s not just the borough, it’s people coming from all across Northern Ireland and beyond. It’s absolutely phenomenal.

"Months and months of planning have gone into this, not just from the council but all the service personnel as well. It’s been a real team effort – with military precision.”