Hear from Garrison Sergeant Major Vern Stokes OBE MVO DL as he shares his experiences of what it is like to organise some of the most important ceremonial events in recent history.
Born in Madeley, Andrew ‘Vern’ Stokes joined the Coldstream Guards in 1988. He went on to serve on Operational tours across the globe, including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He became the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Coldstream Guards before being appointed the senior soldier of the British Army as the Academy Sergeant Major Sandhurst in 2011. He then joined the Headquarters in Horse Guards, Whitehall in 2015 as the Garrison Sergeant Major of London and has been instrumental in National events since.
Vern has the extraordinary task of overseeing ceremonies of scale and significance not witnessed for 70 years. A busy summer marking the Platinum Jubilee, the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, prompted the planning and delivery of a State Funeral and the Coronation of King Charles III.
Join us for an evening of fascinating insight into the hard work of preparing pageantry as Mrs Anna Turner JP, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, talks to Vern about the logistics of such historic occasions.
A percentage of each ticket sold will be donated to the Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale Civic Society in support of their campaign to move the 19th Century Bartlett drinking fountain back to its original location in the heart of Ironbridge.
Doors open at 6:30pm
Presentation starts at 7:30pm
Tickets are £15 Per person – Available from The Anstice office or online at ticketstelford.co.uk
