by Angela Cole

acole@thekmgroup.co.uk

An appeal for a new statue to commemorate Maidstone's links to 36 Engineer Regiment has been launched - to tie in with Armed Forces Day today.

The appeal needs £35,000 in order for the statue to be erected in Brenchley Gardens by the end of this year.

Funds currently stand at £8,500, and it is hoped the additional £26,500 will be raised in time for an unveiling on Remembrance Sunday, November 13.

The statue will commemorate the town's close association with the regiment, which has been in Maidstone for more than 60 years.

It will be a 6ft bronze statue of a soldier returning to base after finding an improvised bomb.

The regiment, which has lost six of its number in Afghanistan, was recently re-classified as a search regiment, looking for the deadly devices.

For four years, troops from the town have been doing this job on rotation to the war zone.

This means there is always a Maidstone Sapper risking his or her life in Afghanistan.

At County Hall, Kent County Council had its own flag-raising ceremony to support Armed Forces Day.

Other events are being held around the county to mark the special day.

The streets of Rochester will be lined with cheering crowds as Medway marks Armed Forces Day with a parade through the town today.

The parade will be led by the Band of HM Royal Marines and will include Royal Engineers and Royal Naval Reserve personnel and veterans led by the standards of their associations.

The procession will start at 10.30am in Crow Lane, Rochester and finish at the Castle Gardens.

A traditional Beat Retreat and Ceremonial Sunset will bring Armed Forces Day in Medway to a close at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, featuring the Royal Marines Band, the Marching Band of the Duke of York's Royal Military School and the Rochester Pipe Band.

This is a fundraising event in aid of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and admission is by ticket. Details from The Historic Dockyard on 01634 823826 or at www.thedockyard.co.uk

For further information on the parade through Rochester, call the Visitor Information Centre on 01634 843666.

Parachutists landing in the sea will be among highlights of the annual Armed Forces Day in Folkestone.

The display, which can be watched from The Leas, will be by the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

Other attractions at the day of free family entertainment at The Leas Bandstand on Saturday, June 25, include the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, Nepalese dancing and singing and a cadets tug-of-war.

Other music will be provided by bands from the Air Cadets, Kent Army Cadet Force and Folkestone & Hythe Sea Cadets.

There will also be static displays by Help for Heroes, the Gurkha Memorial Fund and the Bomb Disposal Squad among others.

The day begins at noon and ends with a lowering of the flags and prayers at 3.40pm.

For more information, go to www.folkestonetc.kentparishes.gov.uk