People in Dumbarton and the Vale are being asked to remember the sacrifices of war from the safety of their own homes this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In line with national advice, there will be no official services taking place throughout Dumbarton, the Vale and surrounding areas on Sunday, November 8, 2020, and people are being advised not to gather at war memorials.

Instead, residents and veterans are being encouraged to pay their respects at home by observing the national two-minute silence.

Wst Dunbartonshire’s depute provost Karen Conaghan will lay a wreath at Levengrove Park in Dumbarton on Remembrance Sunday, and council leader Jonathan McColl will lay one in Alexandria’s Christie Park, but residents are being urged not to turn up to watch the commemorations or pay tribute in person.

Last year, hundreds of people attended local services to commemorate those who have fallen, with acts of remembrance held at the memorials in Levengrove Park and Christie Park, and at the Tobias Smollett memorial near Renton Primary School.

Martin Docherty-Hughes, MP for West Dunbartonshire said: “This will be a Remembrance Sunday like no other.

“Although we cannot stand together in person, it’s right that we take time to reflect and pay tribute to our veterans, armed forces and their families.

“It is especially pertinent during a global pandemic which is causing so much suffering and tragedy that we remember all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in war.”

Councillor McColl said: “While this year’s Remembrance Day will be marked very differently across West Dunbartonshire it is still important for us to honour the brave men and women who lost their lives in past conflicts.”