Armed Forces community
Council announces new Armed Forces Champion
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Walsall Council has appointed a former Royal Military Police (RMP) serviceman as its new Armed Forces Champion for the 2026/27 municipal year.
Councillor Pete Sutton, who served with the 3rd Battalion Staffordshire Regiment and 116 Provost Company (V), 4 Regiment Royal Military Police, has been named the council’s Armed Forces Champion. He will act as the council’s advocate for serving personnel, veterans and their families across the borough.
Councillor Sutton was first elected as a member of Walsall Council in this year’s Local Elections and represents the Brownhills ward.
“ As a proud ex-military, family man who formerly served as a council roadworker, I am honoured to have been elected to serve as Walsall’s Armed Forces Champion.
“Walsall will be holding its first Armed Forces Day event at the end of this month. It is a privilege to be working with the wider council team, and our partners, to deliver what we hope will be the first of many Armed Forces Day celebrations for the borough. “
The role of Armed Forces Champion is to advocate for military personnel, veterans, and their families and loved ones, ensuring they are not disadvantaged when accessing public services. They champion the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant within local government, the NHS, Jobcentre Plus, and other public and private organisations.
The council, working in partnership with Short Heath Lest We Forget CIC, will host Walsall’s first official Armed Forces Day Sunday 28 June 2026 between 11.00am and 4.00pm. The event is taking place in the Walsall Arboretum Extension (Broadway North, Walsall, WS1 2QB) with a whole host of family activities on offer.
The celebratory event has been awarded generous funding from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to mark Armed Forces Day, which officially takes place on Saturday 27 June 2026.
Walsall Council is just one of 130 community groups and local authorities that have been awarded a share of a £430,000 grant by the MOD. The funding grants form part of the wider Strategic Defence Review’s call to reconnect communities with the military, and to encourage a whole-of-society approach to defence.
Find out more about the exciting day out on Walsall Council's website
For more information on Short Heath Lest We Forget CIC, visit the website
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Walsall Council:
More information can be found: go.walsall.gov.uk/events/walsall-armed-forces-day-2026
About Short Heath Lest We Forget CIC:
Short Heath Lest We Forget is a Community Interest Company (CIC) set up to assist the public and local businesses within the local areas of Short Heath and New Invention.
The organisation cares passionately about the community and runs several events and projects to enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of residents.
Since its establishment in 2020, the organisation has raised more than £100,000 to deliver projects that have enhanced the local community.
For more information on Short Heath Lest We Forget CIC, visit the website
About the MOD funding:
For more information on Armed Forces Day and to find a local event, visit www.armedforcesday.org.uk.
This year, 130 applications for Armed Forces Day national events were successful, drawing on a disbursed funding total of £430,440.
Members of the public can use the searchable map on the Armed Forces Day website to find an event in their community: www.armedforcesday.org.uk. Other Armed Forces Day events happening locally include City of Wolverhampton Armed Forces Day, Himley Hall Armed Forces Day (Dudley), National Memorial Arboretum Armed Forces Weekend (Staffordshire), and Sandwell Armed Forces Day.
