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 award-winning care.
To support the ‘They gave their all for us’ campaign, go to: www.starandgarter.org/gavetheirall
Royal Star & Garter is welcoming new residents in its three Homes. For more information on this, or to work for the charity, go to www.starandgarter.org
