Petworth pub celebrates Armed Forces Day with live music and Dad's Army tribute acts

Kicking off from 12pm, the event featured a performance by the UK Forces Veterans showband, a Dad’s Army tribute act, a Women’s Land Army re-enactment, and a performance by Lancashire Belle; a singer famous for her stirring renditions of war-time tunes.

With temperatures high and the sun shining from start to finish, owners of the Three Moles pub have deemed the event a success, drawing a considerable crowd of locals, regulars and residents.

"It was fantastic,” said owner Tim Richardson, who has run the pub alongside Ollie Boulton for just over seven years. “And really well attended, which was good."

It’s a first for the pub, which is well known for hosting get-togethers like this, and fell together entirely by chance but Mr Richardson said it was such a big hit they’re already making plans for next year.

"We were planning all our events for the year, and it hadn’t even popped into my mind to do it for Armed Forces Day. It was only when the show band approached us and said they had a spare slot, and asked if we could play here that we decided to build the day from there,” he said.

It was the perfect for The Three Moles, which was keen to make the most of another sunny Sussex weekend, and celebrate Britain’s large armed forces community. “The pub has had a reputation for a long time for putting on very good events so, generally, as long as the weather is on our side, we always get a good turnout, and that’s great. There are so many people in the area that are serving, have served, or have family who have served in the armed forces, and I think they were very pleased that we put something on.

As for next year, plans are still shaping up, but both Tim and Ollie are hoping to repeat this weekend’s success. “We’re already talking to the Dad’s Army guys to get them more involved,” Tim said. “And hopefully acting out some sketches, that sort of thing, that would be great.”