I was among the many people who flocked to The Garden Bar at Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne, to celebrate Remembrance Sunday and honour all those who served in support of The Royal British Legion.
Popular singing star Victoria Cluskey performed live, bringing timeless wartime classics and much-loved favourites to the harbour.
Victoria’s father Dec Cluskey, a founder member of The Bachelors, also treated us to some of the group’s biggest hits, including Love Me With All of Your Heart, Diane, and I Wouldn’t Trade You for the World.
Victoria started her amazing stint, lasting over five hours, with Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye, and had the audience joining in Roll Out The Barrel, Shake, Rattle and Roll, My Boy Lollipop and The White Cliffs of Dover. Both Victoria and Dec received standing ovations.
Generous landlady Alison Slatcher and manager Hannah Stevens provided a complimentary buffet for everyone during a poignant, uplifting afternoon during which an auction and raffle raised over £1300 for The Royal British Legion.
Hannah said: “Several British Legion members and veterans attended, and we paid a fitting tribute to them. This event gets bigger every year, and we are proud to honour those who served.”
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in former countries of the British Empire, and current Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.
Armistice Day marks the moment the First World War armistice came into effect—11 November 1918 at 11:00 (“the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”). Remembrance Day is the broader UK observance of remembrance for those who died in all conflicts. They overlap on the date, but the origin and scope differ.
-
Tony Flood spent most of his working life as a journalist, initially on local and regional papers and then on nationals. He was also editor of Football Monthly, Controller of Information at Sky Television and enjoyed a spell with The People before retiring in 2010.
He recalls: “My work as a showbiz and leisure writer, critic and editor saw me take on a variety of challenges - learning to dance with Strictly Come Dancing star Erin Boag, becoming a stand-up comedian and playing football with the late George Best and Bobby Moore in charity matches.
“Now I spend much of my time writing books, and theatre reviews and articles for online magazines Unknown Kent and Sussex and The Write Site. I recently retired from playing veterans football, having been one of the oldest - and slowest - players in the country!” Tony's first book was fantasy adventure SECRET POTION, which went to No. 1 in its Amazon category and has been recommended by other authors for Harry Potter fans of all ages.
His celebrity book, MY LIFE WITH THE STARS – SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! is full of anecdotes and revelations about showbiz and sports personalities, including Eric Morecambe, Elvis Presley, Kylie Minogue, George Best, Frank Sinatra, Joan Collins, Strictly Come Dancing stars, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore, with whom Tony worked.
The versatile Mr Flood then turned to writing in another genre with spicy crime thriller TRIPLE TEASE, endorsed by best-selling author Peter James, actor Brian Capron and The Sun newspaper's Stuart Pink. Following the success of TRIPLE TEASE, Tony wrote STITCH UP! – KILLER OR VICTIM? and FALL GUY.
In BEGGARS BELIEF compassionate copper DCI Harvey Livermore and his Major Crime Team are again trying to put a killer behind bars in a gripping, fast-moving story.
Tony has also co-written, with his wife Heather Flood, LAUGHS AND TEARS GALORE – STORIES AND POEMS WITH TWISTS!
Tony gives talks about the showbiz and sports stars featured in his celebrity book, as well as holding miniworkshops and giving advice on how would-be authors can write a successful book. Any groups wishing to contact him can email:
tflood04@yahoo.co.uk Tony is chairman of Anderida Writers of Eastbourne. The link for the Anderida website is:
www.anderidawriters.co.uk
View all posts
