Remembrance Day

❤️ A Day of Remembrance, Community and Togetherness ❤️

What a brilliant and memorable day we had at our Remembrance event! A huge thank you to everyone who came along and helped make it such a special occasion.

We opened our doors at midday with some much-loved Glenn Miller wartime favourites playing in the background, creating a lovely atmosphere as everyone arrived. Before beginning the formal service, we took a moment to pause and reflect to the powerful and moving sounds of Elgar’s Nimrod.

The formal service was opened by Gary and James, who guided us through the proceedings. We had The Last Post, a two-minute silence and Reveille, bringing the silence to a close.

We were honoured to invite Evadne Gordon, one of our residents and notable as the longest-serving female member of the Royal Naval Reserves. She read Taking a Stand and For the Fallen. We then invited everyone to join in reciting the Kohima Epitaph:

“When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

A particularly special moment followed as Johnny B, our oldest resident attending, was invited to lay the community wreath - a fitting tribute from our community to those we remember.

After the service, everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch, with plenty of tea and coffee, followed by some fascinating Home Front video clips that gave us a glimpse into life during wartime.

We then opened the microphone to residents and guests to share their own experiences and family memories. This turned into a truly heartfelt part of the day, with some wonderful stories shared, including reflections from our own Falklands veteran, Kevin.

To round off the afternoon, we were treated to a fantastic live performance from The D-Day Dollies, who had everyone enjoying the music of Vera Lynn, the Andrews Sisters and many other wartime favourites. A wonderful way to finish the day!

A few special thank-yous are very much in order:

❤️ First and foremost, thank you to everyone who came along and shared the day with us.

❤️ A big thank you to Lynda, Christine, Jimmy and Barb for all their help with the food and for keeping everyone supplied with tea and coffee.

❤️ Thanks Laurie for making our cross

❤️ Thank you to Evadne and John for accepting our invitations to take part in the service, with the readings and the laying of the wreath. It meant a great deal to us.

❤️ Thank you to Alison and Barb, who spent so much time in the kitchen washing up, and to the whole team who stayed behind afterwards to help clear everything away and return the hall to normal.

❤️ And finally, a very special thank you to my co-host Gary, who helped with so much behind the scenes — from designing the programmes and putting the service together and helping me present it. Also for preparing the wonderful Home Front video clips and inviting the D Day Dollies. Gary will update us with the charity collection buckets himself separately.

It was a real team effort.

It really was a brilliant day, and we hope everyone who joined us enjoyed it as much as we did.

But while we celebrate the wonderful community spirit of the day, we must never lose sight of why we came together in the first place.

Our thoughts remain with all those who gave their lives in service to our country, and with everyone who has made sacrifices in the cause of peace and freedom.

We will remember them. ❤️