Southside Shopping Centre will play host to the borough’s Armed Forces Day this year.

The event which starts at noon this Saturday will be opened by the Cadet Corps of Drums marching through the centre and will be attended by detachments 131 and 133 of the South West London Army Cadet Force, Tooting and Balham Sea Cadets, Royal Marine Cadets, the London Regiment and the Royal Marines Reserves.

There will be a number of activities for children as well as stalls with Army equipment and clothes for people to try.

Wandsworth has signed the Armed Forces Community Covenant giving its support to the forces, with members of the forces given a chance to qualify for benefits such as housing priority and 40 per cent off cinema tickets, drink and popcorn at Cineworld Wandsworth via Places for People.

The borough’s armed forces champion, Councillor Leslie McDonnell, said: "Armed Forces Day enables us to show our serving local armed forces community how much we support them and how we appreciate the efforts and sacrifice that serving personnel make on our behalf on a daily basis."