Flags are flying high across the region to hail our heroes in the run-up to the nation's first ever Armed Forces Day.This poignant occasion is designed to honour all the soldiers, sailors and airmen and women past and present who have dedicated their lives to serving their country.

Flags are flying high across the region to hail our heroes in the run-up to the nation's first ever Armed Forces Day.

This poignant occasion is designed to honour all the soldiers, sailors and airmen and women past and present who have dedicated their lives to serving their country.

And yesterday, as the clock struck 10.30am, communities across Norfolk and Suffolk joined with others throughout the country in raising specially created Armed Forces Day flags.

These flags, based on the Union Flag design, will now fly all week in the run-up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday.

In Norwich yesterday, there was a procession outside the City Hall involving standard bearers and representatives of RAF Marham and the Royal Anglian Regiment along with city Lord Mayor Eve Collishaw and other civic dignitaries.

Rowland Hall, from the Royal British Legion's Dereham and district branch, raised the flag outside Breckland Council's offices in Dereham watched by representa-tives from RAF Marham, the Swanton Morley-based Light Dragoons and the council.

Dereham Town Council also raised its Armed Forces Day flag yesterday in the Market Place but the flag will be officially raised and dedicated on Saturday.

There was also a ceremony at Yarmouth's town hall yesterday, where Michael Falcon, high steward of Yarmouth and who served with the Norfolk Regiment, and Harry McGee, former military police man and freeman of the borough, raised the Armed Forces Day flag.

In Needham Market, Sara Michell, chairman of Mid Suffolk District Council, raised the flag.

In Watton, members of the town council, the Watton branch of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Forces Association, Air Training Corps and Army Cadets watched the flag being raised at the clock tower.

On Lowestoft's Royal Plain, Alan Duce and a cadet raised the Armed Forces Day flag, and a local veteran and a current serving member of the forces raised the Union Flag.

The bravery of 1,700 Dutch people who escaped to England to join the allied forces during the second world war was also honoured when a sculpture of three bronze paddles, one snapped, was unveiled at Sizewell beach, south of Lowestoft, by representatives of the Engeland-vaarders who travelled over from the Netherlands to witness the event.

Students from Fakenham College also took part in a flag-raising ceremony with the 2534 (Fakenham) Squadron Air Training Corps; and the Diss and District Royal Air Forces Association provided Diss Post Office and Harleston Market Place with flags.

There will be many events across the region marking Armed Forces Day this weekend. For updates, see www.edp24.co.uk.

If you have an event you would like publicised please email emma.knights@archant.co.uk.