RAF Cranwell personnel visited Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) this Remembrance Day to hand out crochet poppies to veteran patients and their families.
Along with a poppy, veterans received a thank-you card that was handmade by children at Bingham Day Nursery.
Remembrance Day takes place on 11 November every year and is about commemorating those who have died serving their country in the armed forces.
Flight Lieutenant Andy Leonard from RAF Cranwell said: “It was a real privilege to visit some of our local veterans in hospital on Remembrance Day. Our veterans deserve our support, especially at this time of year, as we honour those who served before us and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Lucy Panesar, Lead Nurse for Neonatal Family Care, said: “Being part of the Armed Forces family, it was an honour to take part in this special day and ensure veterans and serving people were able to receive a poppy.
“It was lovely that the children of Bingham Day Nursery were able to provide cards for us to give to veterans and serving people on Remembrance Day. I think it is important children are involved at a young age to learn from history and recognise the great sacrifices that individuals and families have made for our freedom. My son Otto helped create the cards, which was special for us, as his father is in the RAF and was deployed abroad when he was admitted to hospital as a baby.”
Amanda Morledge, Armed Forces Clinical Champion, said: “As a Trust, we are fully committed to commemorating and honouring our veterans and our armed forces community, and we’re very proud to be a veteran-aware hospital.
“Working with RAF Cranwell this year has been a pleasure. Our patients really enjoyed talking to current armed forces personnel on Remembrance Day.
“We are very mindful of the fact that it can be quite a difficult time of year for people who have served in the armed forces. There are lots of support agencies out there, and we also have a welfare officer from the Defence Medical Welfare Service who is based in the hospital and works with NUH staff and patients. So, if you are struggling, please reach out.”
The Royal British Legion worked with NUH to provide five collection tins and 4,000 poppies for staff, patients, and visitors to purchase across all hospital sites.
You can learn about the history behind the poppy becoming a symbol of Remembrance via the Royal British Legion website, and you can also donate online to the Royal British Legion.
Both the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital will be lit up red, along with Unknown Tommy statues on both sites.
David Jones, 85, is a patient on Ward C31 and served in the Royal Navy in the 1960s. He said: “The RAF personnel visiting me today was lovely. I’ve got a set of different poppies now, and I marched in New Zealand with the brigade from Korea.
“As a kid, I used to be with the Stapleford branch of the cadets. I was also in the sea cadets, and I have some fond memories of that time.”
