A WREATH laying ceremony is set to take place in Maldon on Remembrance Sunday to honour those who fell during the First World War.

An Act of Remembrance and Wreath Laying Ceremony will take place at the War Memorial, High Street, Maldon starting at 10.30am on November 11.

The Royal British Legion Parade Marshall will be gathering participating veterans, members of the cadet services, emergency services, local voluntary organisations and young people from district schools in front of the memorial from approximately 10.15 am.

Around 40 wreaths will be laid this year including those by town mayor Jeanette Stilts, representatives of the armed forces including the town’s cadet troops, and representatives of Maldon based organisations.

After the ceremony, everyone, including members of the public, is invited to attend a civic service to commemorate the centenary of the armistice in All Saints Church at 11.15am.

The service will include the Sanctus from Karl Jenkins' "The armed man" (sung by the church choir), an arrangement of "In Flanders Fields" played by the All Saints Hand bell ringers and a specially composed song "Lance Corporal G/3681" written and performed by Suki Swindale, with Carol Bonard.

The drape of poppies displayed on the Moot Hall has been made by more than sixty volunteers, who attached 5,000 poppies, in a design which was the brainchild of Wendy Munnion, the chairman of the Maldon Flower Arranging Club. Maldon Town Council has thanked Ms Munnion for all her hard work and dedication in making the project a reality.

At 5pm, the Essex Association of Change Bell Ringers will ring a full peal (half muffled) which involves 5088 changes of Armistice Surprise Major that will take about 2hrs and 45mins.

It will be dedicated to Private Thomas Charles Golden Pettitt, a bellringer at All Saints Maldon who died on July 14 1918, aged 18, and in memory of all those who gave their lives in the First World War from Maldon.

A temporary road closure will be enforced in the high street, which will be closed to all traffic between Market Hill and West Square from 10am to 11.30am.

All traffic will be diverted around the town, via Mill Road, Cross Road and Fambridge Road during this period.

A town council spokesman said: “We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause but it is impossible to hold the parade and ceremony without this closure.”