THE Vicar of Bolton has appealed to town centre traders to show respect for the Remembrance Sunday service in Victoria Square.

Canon Alan Wolstencroft made a direct appeal to shopkeepers at a meeting of Bolton traders' committee.

He said: "It is a very sensitive occasion and I would ask traders around the square to be conscious of that."

Last year was the first time that Bolton's Sunday shopping Christmas countdown clashed with the annual Remembrance service around the cenotaph.

Many stores opened at 10.30am last year, though most stopped trading during the minute's silence at 11am. But they resumed trading as the service continued.

Stores are again scheduled to open from 10.30am-4.30pm. Bolton town centre manager Maria Appleton said: "The town centre partnership have deliberately not scheduled any special events for November 10 because it is Remembrance Sunday."

Kearsley Royal British Legion has arranged a Remembrance Sunday service for 10am, preceded by a parade from the British Legion in Springfield Road to the war memorial at 9.40am.

At 10.30am there will be a service in St Stephen's Church, Kearsley.

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