The Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire has paid a visit to Morecambe where she met a veteran of the D-Day landings.
Amanda Parker, who acts as the King's representative in the county, met Richard Brock during her afternoon at Bay Veterans Association in the Arndale shopping centre.
Sergeant Brock, from Lancaster, was awarded numerous medals for bravery including the Legion d'Honneur, the highest military order of merit in France, after being part of the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Richard landed on the beaches at Normandy with the Allied Forces as they advanced into Nazi-occupied France in 1944.
Over the next 12 months he helped to liberate parts of France and the Netherlands, saw first-hand the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, narrowly escaped death after a missile landed on a cinema in Belgium, was part of the famous 'A Bridge Too Far' battle, and invaded Germany's second biggest city as Hitler's forces surrendered.
Richard's dramatic and gruelling journey - staying overnight under trees, hedges and in foxholes, and constantly in danger - took him 2,000 miles from London, through France, Belgium, Holland and then into Germany as the Allied Forces were ultimately victorious.
While in Morecambe on Wednesday, the Lord Lieutenant also visited Unique Kidz & Co, a charity helping disabled young people, and SAFE, which supports people of all ages going through mental health and other life challenges to reintegrate with society.
And she spoke to Beyond Radio too!
LISTEN to our interview with the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
"It's been fascinating," said Mrs Parker.
"I love coming to towns, villages or areas where I can see two or three places in one day, and a get a real feel for how a community comes together and life in the area.
"I've known about Bay Veterans Association for a while now and the turnout today is very exciting.
"Everybody coming together and there's no competition, it's shared vision and desire to support our veterans and it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to them all.
"Lancashire in particular has a very large proportion of military veterans. To see everybody coming together to support them is heartwarming.
"Morecambe is not somewhere I come very often and it's beautiful."
Mrs Parker was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2023.
She has devoted much of her life to voluntary service and served as a magistrate for almost two decades; and supported young people through sport, especially hockey.
We also spoke to Andrea Farrington-Matthews and Darren Clifford from Bay Veterans Association, and Jenny Reddell from Lancaster CVS (Community Voluntary Solutions).
LISTEN here
Mrs Parker also met members of the local veterans football team who have received £787 from the 3R charity towards training jackets.
Read more: INTERVIEWS: Mums are going to Iceland on Morecambe charity trek - Beyond Radio
INTERVIEW: D-Day veteran from Lancaster, 99, tells his incredible World War 2 story - Beyond Radio
Truck on its side after two-vehicle crash on M6 near Lancaster
Police seize unsafe car in Morecambe after disqualified driver travelled from London
Lancaster hotel team to tackle Lancashire peaks for charity
Work under way on new mural to celebrate Eric Morecambe's centenary
WATCH: YouTuber on bar crawl around Britain visits 22 Morecambe pubs in one day
Plans go in for throwback over 55s co-housing community in Lancaster
Trains between Preston and Lancaster to be suspended as upgrade works continue
LISTEN: Police inspector vows to crack down on spate of motorbike thefts by youths
Morecambe FC unveil Lancashire based new kit supplier
Lancaster and Morecambe police trained in use of life saving spray
Lancaster & Morecambe College secures £574K boost from government
Morecambe FC club shop and online store closes down after supplier deal ends
Safety warning issued after debris spotted falling from building in Carnforth
New pasta bar 'Pimp Your Pasta' opening in Morecambe
Lancaster Bus Station timetables fixed at last
Sadness as Heysham public toilets trashed by vandals days after reopening again
Contractor tasked with building Eden Project Morecambe revealed
PHOTOS: Fallen tree near crematorium as Storm Dave hits Lancaster and Morecambe Bay area
Call for urgent help as Lancaster mobile phone mast site declared 'unviable' after vandalism
Eric Morecambe exhibition and guided tours announced for week of his 100th birthday
