The main focus of the week was on Sunday 10 July with an event staged on Horse Guards Parade for 11,000 veterans. Edwin Shirley Staging built a 40m x 25m stage with sound supplied by Wigwam, lighting provided by PRG Europe and a 160m scenic wall from Centrestage. Other key suppliers included Search, Power Logistics, Arena Seating, Unusual Rigging, Screenco, Show & Event, Dobson Sound, Delta Sound, Thorns and National Radio Bank.
During the week leading up to the celebrations, images of previously unseen World War II photographs were projected onto the façade of Buckingham Palace. In addition an 85m x 30m tented Veterans Centre was installed in St. James's Park along with a Living Museum, Press Centre, a BBC unit, the British Forces Broadcasting Service and NAAFI. There was also a display of World War II military and civilian vehicles on The Mall, which culminated in a parade on the Sunday afternoon.
Unusual Services was also contracted by Appleyards Consulting to provide production services for the unveiling of the Women's Memorial in Whitehall by Her Majesty the Queen on 9 July.
During the entire fit up and production period catering was provided by Eat to the Beat. The company was responsible for feeding over 200 crew on a daily basis for two weeks. Lunch was also provided on the Sunday for the 350 people taking part in the event including 40 children from local schools.
Eat to the Beat supplied 15 water coolers and over 9,500 litres of water to the visitors to the site and in addition sister company e2B Logistics picked, packed and delivered 11,000 specially prepared 'goody bags' for the veterans.
The event culminated with a parade of 600 standards down the Mall with the Royal Family observing from a balcony of Buckingham Palace as a Lancaster Bomber performed a fly-past dropping one million poppies as it went.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
