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See Pompey stars get Freedom of the City…for free!

Score yourself a ticket to the Freedom of the City Ceremony and see the stars- for free! The Freedom of the City will be given to Harry Redknapp and Portsmouth Football Club's 2008 FA Cup Winning Squad and will take place in the Guildhall on Oct 28.

Doors open at 1.30pm and the ceremony will start around 2pm. Tickets are available on a first come-first served basis, with a maximum of 4 per person, at the following venues:

Norrish Central Library

North End Library

Beddow Library

Cosham Library

 The Freedom of the City comes from the action of giving a military unit ‘Freedom of Entry with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing and Colours flying’. It dates back from the time when fortress walls were necessary to protect the city from outlaw bands and attacks from feudal lords.  Bodies of armed men were refused entry to the city unless the people that lived there were sure that they meant no harm. 

 Back then, giving permission for a formed body of armed men to enter a city became a mark of the trust and confidence and today, it is the highest honour that a city can bestow on a military unit. The last Freedom of the City was given to HMS Endurance in 2007.

 Cllr Gerald-Vernon Jackson, leader of the council said; “600 million people around the world watched Pompey win and it really put us on the map”.

All libraries are open daily except Sundays so get down to your nearest branch and avoid disappointment!

 

Date : 15 October 2008

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