The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance to honour our armed forces inaugurated by King George V in 1919. We used our artistic skills here at Loose Valley Care Home to produce handmade tissue paper poppies and wreaths in preparation for Remembrance Day on Sunday 13 November.
Our Recreation and Well-Being team commented, “Our residents are at that age were they remember the war and it’s been amazing listening to their stories and memories. While we made our poppies, Gwen chatted to the group with her war diary stories – she kept a diary every day and it’s now at the Imperial War Museum. You can find the recording on Radio Kent Online and listen to her describing her experiences.”
On the day, we gave each resident a poppy which they wore with pride, and put together a war memorial display with a life size silhouette of a fallen soldier. We watched the Remembrance service on television and observed the two minute silence at the cenotaph with members of the forces and Royals attending the service.
We set up a poignant activity for our residents called “A Wartime Discussion” and this helped bring back some fond memories. Our ladies chatted with each other about their ages how it was during the tough times of rationing. To spark conversation, we had two metal miniature spitfire planes and a variety of books including ‘On the Home Front’, ‘Remember When’, ‘The First World War and ‘The Spirit of Wartime’. Along with accounts of our residents’ real experiences, it all made for a lovely afternoon.
