A SPECIAL ceremony was held to bless the Workington standard - ahead of Armed Forces Day later this month.

At a special service in St John's Church, Workington The Very Revd Dr Francis Ward took in the old standard from the Workington Legion and blessed the new standard for the group to 'go forward' with their good work.

Sam Jackson was the standard bearer on the day. He will now go forward and take care of the standard, using it to represent the legion at occasions in the town and beyond.

No one is totally sure on how long the old standard has been in the town, but people believe that it has been around for at least 30-40 years.

Women's Commitee member at the RBL, Lesley Jackson said: "With Armed Forces Day coming up, it's going to be the first time out so we are really proud that we have got this new standard to take out.

"It's tidy and it's clean so it will give us a bit more pride in what we are representing, it will stand out a bit more than the old one.

"It is very significant that we have got this done now ahead of Armed Forces Day at the end of the month."

Armed Forces Day will be celebrated in Workington later this month on Saturday, June 25, with hundreds of people expected to take to the streets of the town to celebrate the country's armed forces, with a parade through the town followed by a celebration in the Royal British Legion.