A POPULAR military event, held every year at Camperdown Park, Dundee, will not take place next year because of funding difficulties, The Courier can reveal.

The Dundee Military Show, along with military shows scheduled for Aber-deen, Stirling and Glasgow, will not be going ahead because of funding issues and the operational commitments of the armed forces, according to an army spokesman.

The seventh annual show was held at Camperdown Park in June, attracting 10,000 visitors.

The show consisted of a variety of events, including mock battles, demonstrations of unarmed combat, a parachute display and performances by a regimental pipe band.

The army spokesman said, “The annual military shows in Scotland have been cancelled in 2008 due to operational and funding requirements.

“They will be reviewed in 2008 with the view to seeing if we can relaunch the shows in 2009.”

The spokesman said the military shows were very much about raising awareness of the armed forces in Scotland, and that the army was still recruiting in the normal fashion, using recruitment teams and army career officers.

Lord Provost John Letford, who is also the Lord Lieutenant of Dundee and a staunch supporter of the armed forces, told The Courier he had not been informed of the decision.

He said, “I haven’t received any confirmation at all about this—but I have been told that Brigadier David Offrey will be sending me a letter explaining the situation.

“I would be very disappointed if what The Courier has reported turns out to be true.

“The event is a great spectacle and has given the people of Dundee an opportunity to learn more about different parts of the armed services.”