THOUSANDS of people will pay tribute to fallen soldiers in Worcestershire.

Remembrance services are set to take place across the county, which will also be commemorating the centennial of the end of the First World War.

On Remembrance Sunday, which falls on the same day as Armistice Day (November 11), Worcester Cathedral will hold the tradition Act of Remembrance service at the War Memorial at 10.00am.

The congregation will then head to the war memorial for the 10.45am service and two minutes silence.

From noon the half-muffled bells will ring until 4pm at the cathedral and at 6.30pm there will be a Requiem Eucharist.

Claines Church will be having its remembrance service at their war memorial beginning at 10.45am running until noon.

A specially designed mural and display of poppies made by villagers has been placed at the war memorial in Bishampton to mark the First World War anniversary. The parish council commissioned local artist Carolyn Morris to make a display. Bishampton’s history society received Heritage Lottery Funding for events over the past few years. They also researched the names on the war memorial and many more Bishampton soldiers were discovered and they’ve been recorded in a book Those That Served.

The names were added to the war memorial in the village centre and now it remembers 52 men who served, with Bishampton links, from a population at the time of about 340.

A short remembrance service is being held at noon at the memorial.

St Mark's in the Cherry Orchard Church will host a Remembrance Service this Sunday, starting at a new time of 10.15am.

And the traditional Royal British Legion parade is set to take place in St John's from 9.30am on Sunday.

In Evesham, the Royal British Legion will meet in Market Square at 10.40am and then parade to the war memorial for a service taking place at 11am.

Meanwhile residents can view a sculpture marking the anniversary, which has been commissioned by the WW1 committee and the Great Lenches Amateur Dramatic Society.

The sculpture has been made by Pete Davenport, from Charlton and comprises genuine WW1 rifles, helmets and standards which all saw action and come from Mr Davenport's extensive collection.

Dave Burns, chairman of the Lenches WW1 Committee said that 14 men from the Lenches and Abbotts Morton died in the war.

“We wanted a fitting tribute to the fallen and this has exceeded all our expectations," he said.

The sculpture is the centrepiece of the finale of a revue, 1918 and All That written and produced by the local drama group in the Lenches. Tickets have gone on sale available from The Lenches Club.

A Remembrance Sunday service is being held at the War Memorial in Broadway at 10.50am, which will continue at St Michael & All Angels church afterwards.

To commemorate the First World War anniversary, the Broadway branch of The Royal British Legion ran a themed window display and competition, with the competition being judged by the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Lt Col Patrick Holcroft.

Pershore Abbey Bell Ringers Jenny Allcock, Claire Payne, Sally Stewart and Gordon Robinson are part of the national campaign Ringing Remembers, which commemorate the ringers who died in the First World War.

On Sunday they will start ringing Pershore Abbey bells at 9.30am. This ringing leads up to the Service of Remembrance in the Abbey starting at 10.40am.

After the service, at 12.30pm, the bells ring once again.

In addition to the events this Sunday, on Saturday special stained glass window for the Cemetery Chapel will go on display to the public.

It has three panels depicting the two World Wars, and Pershore being at peace today thanks to the sacrifice of all those who served.

Meanwhile the town council with the Worcester Philharmonic Orchestra is holding an Armistice Concert on November 17 in Pershore Abbey at 2.30pm.

The programme will be in two halves with the first half being a reflection of music and readings relating to the First World War and the second half involving “Vesta Tilley” and some of the songs made popular at the time.

Tickets cost £15 and are available from the Town Hall, Visitor Information Centre and Blue.

In Droitwich, people will meet at the war memorial at 10.45am for the usual popular service, with a procession afterwards.

In Malvern, there will also be the usual parade from Great Malvern Library to Great Malvern Priory before a service at the war memorial located in Malvern Priory Church, taking place from 10.50pm.

To mark the 100th anniversary Malvern Town Council, along with the Remembrance Committee and Malvern Museum, is opening a Field of Remembrance in the grounds of Great Malvern Library between November 8 and 15.

The Field of Remembrance in Malvern will be officially opened at 10.30am this Thursday, November 8 with a short service and a two minutes silence, and it will be open for a week with members of the public invited to plant wooden crosses in remembrance of the fallen. Crosses will be available at the library.

And in Upton-upon-Severn, a parade meeting at the old fire station will begin at 10.15am moving to St Peter and St Paul Anglican Parish Church for a service at 10.45am.

Following the service the parade will march back down to the war memorial at the old churchyard for the wreath-laying ceremony at around noon.

At 6.45pm, at the war memorial at the old churchyard, the Last Post will be played at 6.55pm and the flag raised on the riverfront flagpole.

After this the church bells will ring to mark the First World War anniversary.

Meanwhile, Worcester City Council Deputy Leader Adrian Gregson has taken up an invite to the national Armistice Centenary Service at Westminster Abbey on Sunday.

The Service is being shown live on BBC1 and is being attended by the Queen, Prime Minister and other members of the Royal Family and government.

Cllr Gregson said: "Attendance is by invitation only and I am very privileged to be able to go since the Abbey only holds 2,000 people.

"I shall be wearing the medals of my great uncle who was killed in April 1918, proud to represent my family and the people of Worcester."