PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 124
Remembrance 2022: Royal Star & Garter Veterans Take Part in Services at Cenotaph and in the Homes
Veterans from Royal Star & Garter were among those to attend the National Service at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, on 13 November. Four residents from the charity’s Surbiton and High Wycombe Homes attended the service in London. Services were also held across Royal Star & Garter’s three Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe on Armistice Day, 11 November. Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia. The Armistice Day services at the Homes featured buglers and readings. Residents observed the two-minute silence at 11am, and poppy wreaths were laid. At Surbiton, the service was attended by Kingston Mayor, Councillor Yogan Yoganathan, and Deputy Mayor,
Councillor Nicola Nardelli. In High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Mimi Harker, attended and gave a reading. In Solihull, members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) attended. Among those from the Surbiton Home to attend the National Service at the Cenotaph was Connie, who served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service during WWII. She has regularly attended Liberation Day services in the Netherlands for decades, but this was her first time at the National Service. Army veteran Michael is a resident at Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe, and was joined at the Cenotaph service by his daughter Sarah. She said: “Dad used to work nearby at the Ministry of Defence, so being here brought back so many memories for him. It was really special for me to be here with him. It’s creating shared memories we can talk about together. I’ll be able to share with the family and they’ll be pleased to know he had this lovely opportunity.”
In the run-up to Remembrance, celebrated artist Lucy Freud visited the Surbiton Home to lead special painting classes with residents. In Solihull, residents visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where they laid a wreath. And in High Wycombe, residents made poppies out of tissue paper. Residents in all three Homes took part in Remembrance activities, such as poppy and wreath-making. This year Royal Star & Garter’s Remembrance campaign, ‘They gave their all for us’, highlighted how young some of the charity’s residents were when they joined the Armed Forces, and looked at how Royal Star & Garter is able to give back to them each day through its awardwinning care. To support the ‘They gave their all for us’ campaign, go to: www.starandgarter.org/gavetheirall
Rotherham Care Village Marks Remembrance Day with a Visit from the Royal British Legion ing public services due to the Covid-19 restrictions. For residents and staff unable to attend the main service on Sunday, the occasion gave them the chance to participate in the community’s Remembrance proceedings and show their gratitude first hand. Sam Sheppard, operations coordinator at Moorgate Care Village said: “The Royal British Legion has been visiting us for a few years and it was lovely to have the volunteers here again to provide such a special service.” “The visit means a lot to our residents with many of them remembering family and friends who lost their lives serving in the armed forces.”
The residents of Moorgate Care Village in Rotherham had a reflective and respectful Armistice Day when they were visited by volunteers from The Royal British Legion. The Care Village, which comprises Moorgate Croft, Moorgate Lodge and Moorgate Hollow, offers residential, respite, nursing, and dementia care, received a poignant remembrance service from Branch, The Royal British Legion. The Last Post was played, and the two-minute silence allowed residents to honour loved ones who served in the armed the forces. This is the third time Royal British Legion volunteers conducted the Remembrance Day service at the Care Village – an annual tradition which began when residents were prevented from attend-
Ashcombe Residents Remember The Fallen On Armistice Day Barchester’s Ashcombe House Care home in Worting road commemorated the signing of the Armistice Day agreement on the day that the guns finally fell silent. They joined
with personal ties to the military and many who have experienced conflict either at home or abroad so it was important to us to mark November 11th and honour the contribution
the rest of the United Kingdom in holding a two-minute silence at the eleventh hour, on
of everyone involved in the World Wars and in subsequent conflicts. “The poppy display
the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.
is absolutely amazing and im really proud of the hard work the residents put in.”
As well as marking Armistice Day by wearing poppies and observing the national two
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily
minute silence, residents knit & natter group have been busy knitting poppies to make
choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests
their own display which is situated on the Worting road for all to see.
and abilities.
Louise Lambert, General Manager at Ashcombe House said: “We have many residents
Goldenley Residents Make Pottery Poppies for Their Remembrance Garden Remembrance Day is an important day across the Excelcare family each and every year. It’s a day of significant importance that is very dear to many of the people who live in their homes. Across the group, many residents served in the war, had close family and friends who were affected by it and memories of what life in the war was like, so they always honour the day and encourage people to get involved in activities that pay respect to the people who lost their lives. At Goldenley Care Home in Benfleet, the people who live there recently made some clay poppies to display in their remembrance garden. This is an activity they take part in each year before Remembrance Day so they can keep adding to their colourful outdoor poppy display. Hazel from Peacocks Pottery Barn came along to help during the event and share her wisdom about pottery.
Throughout the session, people enjoyed painting the clay poppies in a bright red before adding some detail with black. As they painted the poppies, people were sharing stories that the activity brought back. Some people talked about the loved ones they lost during the war, whilst others shared stories about what it was like to live through the war and serve in it. It was an emotional day recalling memories from the past, but everyone enjoyed painting the poppies for their garden. Hazel then took the finished designs away to her studio to fire in the kiln and will return them in time for Remembrance Day, during which people will place them in their remembrance garden. Across the family, Excelcare will be honouring Remembrance Day with pride and taking part in a two-minute silence to remember those who served our country. Lest we forget.