Member Article

Bournemouth pupils present poppies to Armed Forces veterans at Kinson Remembrance Day event

Children from a Bournemouth school have been marking Remembrance Day with a special poppy presentation for local veterans.

As part of a memorial ceremony in Kinson on 11th November, children from Moordown St John’s Primary School handed over their personally made clay poppies to a group of ex-military servicemen.

The Remembrance Day event, organised by the Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust, with support from Barratt Homes, saw youngsters get together with veterans to remember the nation’s military personnel.

The clay poppy presentation was followed by a minute’s silence at 11am and a ceremonial wreath laying at the memorial outside Kinson Library. Schoolchildren from Moordown St John’s, as well as from Kinson Academy and Christ the King, then went on to perform poetry recitals and songs for the visiting guests.

Amedeo Angiolini, Project Worker at Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust, brought everyone together on the day, and said it was the perfect way to honour the nation’s Armed Forces – past and present.

He said: “This was such a special morning. With our veterans, local schoolchildren, and members of the community, all in attendance, it was the perfect way to mark this important day.

“We arrange an event in Kinson like this every year, and this year Barratt Homes offered its help. Thanks to the housebuilder’s generous donation, we were able to fund the materials needed for the schoolchildren’s handmade poppies, and their presentation of these was a delight to see.”

Barratt Homes, which is bringing new homes to the region, works alongside former veterans and supports a number of causes and charities associated with the Armed Forces.

The developer donated £1,000 to Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust and Victoria Grinnall, Barratt Homes Assistant Site Manager and ex-Armed Forces worker, attended the memorial event.

Victoria, 27, worked in the military as an Armoured Engineer for six years, and was the very first female to drive Titan and Trojan tanks. After leaving the forces she signed up to the developer’s Armed Forces Transition Programme, which takes on former services personnel and trains them up to be site managers at its Barratt and David Wilson developments.

She said it was a wonderful event to be a part of and “to meet Amedeo and other local veterans, and to see children presenting poppies and performing, was just incredible.” She added: “As an ex-forces member myself, this is an important day in the calendar for me, as well as for Barratt Homes. The housebuilder is a great supporter of the Armed Forces and has provided a great transition into the world of work for me.”

Victoria also met with Kinson woman, Andrea Johnson. Andrea lost her son, Jonathan Allott in 2010. The 19-year-old young serviceman died in action in Afghanistan. “It was a real honour to speak to Andrea and hear about Jonathan,” added Victoria. “Remembrance Day is for him, and for thousands of other military personnel who have lost their lives for their country.”

Amedeo added: “I’d like to thank everyone who took part today. It has been a truly memorable day.”

Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust was set up to support ex-military personnel and serving military with re-integration to civilian life by dealing with the issues they face when leaving the Armed Forces.

Barratt Homes is building homes across the region. The developer is committed to supporting organisations in the areas in which it is building and is a proud supporter of the Armed Forces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barratt Homes .