THE mayor of Rhyl, Cllr Diane King, will not be attending the town’s Armistice Day service this year due to an “important personal medical appointment”.

News that Cllr King, serving her second term as mayor after being sworn in in May 2021, would not be present at the service had disappointed Rhyl-based veterans and Royal British Legion (RBL) fundraisers alike.

In Cllr King’s place, the town’s deputy mayor, Cllr Jacquie McAlpine, will be attending the service, which will take place at 10.45am on Friday, November 11 at Rhyl’s Remembrance Gardens.

A Rhyl Town Council spokesperson said: “It is with sincere regret that the mayor, Cllr Diane King, is unable to attend this year’s service at Remembrance Gardens on Armistice Day.

“The mayor does her absolute best to attend as many engagements as she possibly can, but occasionally, she simply cannot, and the deputy mayor will do her utmost to attend and represent the town council and the town on the mayor’s behalf.

“On this occasion, Cllr King unfortunately has an important personal medical appointment, and so the deputy mayor, Jacquie McAlpine, is pleased to attend.

“Both the mayor and deputy mayor will be present for all official services taking place in Rhyl on Remembrance Sunday (November 13).”

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Richard Kendrick, volunteer for the RBL, and who has arranged this year’s Armistice Day service in Rhyl, had said prior to the above statement being issued that he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the news.

He said: “Veterans are very angry. I’ve looked through all of the pictures from every year we’ve had a service, and I can’t see another time when the mayor of Rhyl hasn’t turned up.

“For veterans, there’s nothing more important than Armistice Day, so the mayor should be there.

“She’s the leader of the town, so she should be there. I’m deeply shocked and saddened that she’s not going to be there.”

Representatives from the Welsh Guards, as well as between 30 and 40 veterans, are among those who have been invited to the Armistice Day service in Rhyl, as well as the town’s schools.

Ian Murray, a wood carpenter who was “born and bred in Rhyl”, served in the Army as a tank transporter based in Germany, also visiting Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

In the past, he has also assisted Richard in organising the service, “which is why he is highly-regarded in the town, not only by the residents, but the veteran community; he is an honorary veteran in our eyes,” he said.

Ian added: “The mayor is supposed to be a leader, so when you hear that a leader won’t do something, it makes you question as to why they are in that role.

“It (Armistice Day) is one day out of the year, so to make other plans on such a poignant day is unforgivable.

“Every other previous mayor has attended in the past, so why not this one? It’s a complete disregard to not only surviving veterans of the town, but the ones we have lost.

“Yes, I have a job, but I make sure, every year, that I have that day off.

“It’s about having respect for the lives lost while fighting for our freedom, and remembering friends and family we have fought with.

“If honesty upsets people, then so be it.”

The spokesperson for Rhyl Town Council added: “We are confident that the arrangements Mr Kendrick is making for Armistice Day will ensure that the day is suitably acknowledged and respectfully observed, and thank him for all he does in his role as Poppy Appeal Organiser for the Royal British Legion.”

All are welcome to the Armistice Day service in Rhyl on November 11, which will be led by Reverend Chris Spencer.