Dozens of Edinburgh and the Lothians’ most iconic landmarks, tourist destinations and businesses are being urged to “Light Up Red” in support of the Scottish Poppy Appeal.
From castles to council buildings, schools to statues, Poppyscotland is encouraging buildings across Scotland to take part in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday on November 13th.
The charity hopes to surpass last year’s record total of around 300 buildings taking part nationwide, including Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Airport, Cockenzie House & Gardens, and Loanhead Parish Church.
Any building with external lighting can take part simply by adding red gel filters to the flood or up-lights to join Poppyscotland in showing support for the Armed Forces community.
The Scottish Poppy Appeal is Scotland’s biggest fundraising campaign, raising more than £2 million for the charity’s welfare work with veterans, servicemen and women and their families.
Three million poppies, handmade by veterans at the Lady Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, are already on their journey around the country.
Austin Hardie, Director of Poppyscotland, said: “It’s always wonderful to see so many landmarks across Edinburgh and the Lothians lighting up red for the Poppy Appeal. This is a fitting and poignant tribute to our Armed Forces community, and we know it means a lot to them to see this visual support for their contribution, past and present.
“We’ve been delighted how this idea has captured people’s imaginations, and are very grateful for the support of so many businesses and other organisations.
Free travel for military and ex-military personnel on 11thand 14th November
Commitment will continue annually
New employee led Veterans Network key to Stagecoach commitment
Stagecoach has confirmed its ongoing commitment to the armed forces by announcing that it will be offering free travel for veterans and military personnel on its bus and tram services right across the UK on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.
The commitment to free travel, which will be ongoing every year, comes on the back of Stagecoach’s newly launched employee led Veterans Network.
The network was launched to allow Stagecoach colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of working to make the company even stronger.
The Veteran Network is also currently engaging with the armed forces on a recruitment campaign directly targeting those who are leaving the military to find job opportunities at Stagecoach.
As a cause that is close to the hearts of its employees and customers, Stagecoach has been a long-time supporter of the Poppy Appeal, and in addition to free travel on 11th and 14th November, Stagecoach will be operating a number of Poppy Buses across its network, including Merseyside & South Lancashire, Cumbria & North Lancashire, Portsmouth and Aldershot.
Poppies will also be displayed on the front of a number of buses across the country with some of the destination blinds showing the messaging “We will remember them”.
Employees across Stagecoach will also be asked to honour the minutes’ silence.
Stagecoach has also been a member of the Armed Force Covenant since March 2015, recognising the value of serving personnel, regular and reservists, veterans and military families to both the country and businesses across the country.
With Remembrance services planned at memorials across UK, it is hoped that people wishing to pay their respects will take up the offer to travel for free to the service of their choice.
This commitment from Stagecoach allows for the business to unite and offer the same great experience to all military and ex-military customers and it will continue each year on 11th November and the following Sunday* as well as Armed Forces Weekend.
Simon Tramalloni, Operations Manager in Preston & Chorley is co-lead for the Stagecoach Veterans Network. He previously served in the Armed Forces serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and the Middle East.
He said: “Stagecoach has a strong commitment to supporting the armed forces and our veterans, and it’s great that we are able to offer free bus and tram travel across the whole country as we mark Remembrance Day.
“We have thousands of ex forces personnel working across our business and having the new Veterans Network is allowing us to build on the work that Stagecoach has led over many years and identify how else we can support those veterans already working for us and those that may want to come and join the company.
“Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal are causes close to the hearts of many of our employees and customers and we are very pleased to be making this commitment that will hopefully help people to attend memorials across the UK.”
Residents at two Edinburgh care homes joined hundreds of people across the UK in a virtual singalong to celebrate the life of the late Dame Vera Lynn.
Men and women from Mansfield Care’s Haugh House and Craighall House care homes sang the iconic ‘We’ll Meet Again’, with over 900 care home residents taking part throughout the country.
The event took place on Remembrance Sunday while also marking the release of the singer’s farewell album ‘Keep Smiling Through’ in partnership with Decca records.
The singalong was organised by Shapeshifter Productions which collaborates with care homes around the UK through their participatory singing project, The Smiling Sessions.
The charity provides weekly singing sessions for residents in care homes, which can be accessed through a newly developed website and app due to the pandemic. Songs can be streamed or downloaded.
Artistic Director of Shapeshifter Productions, Alison Jones, (above) said: “The Smiling Sessions was a project conceived over 10 years ago which enables residents at care homes throughout the country to sing with one another through weekly sessions.
“Unfortunately, with the pandemic we were forced to hold our weekly singing sessions virtually, but with this change we came up with new ideas such as a virtual jukebox – allowing residents to pick the songs they want to sing together remotely.
“It became a huge hit with homes all over the country, and so we decided we wanted to have a mass singalong to commemorate those on Remembrance Sunday. It took a lot of effort to set up, but we were overwhelmed by the popularity of the singalong with over 10,000 residents all coming together to sing.
“Dame Vera Lynn is so iconic, and is a symbol of resilience and strength for so many during an unprecedented time, and you can see how much the song meant to all the residents, it provided a real sense of occasion for them.”
Haugh House and Craighall House were approached by Shapeshifter Productions over the phone after learning the mother of Pete Baikie, co-founder of The Smiling Sessions, was staying at Haugh House.
Care Home Manager, Jo Dickman, said: “One of residents, Rae Baikie (above), has a son who is involved in musical therapy for care homes down in England, and so he regularly comes up to do singing sessions with our residents.
“Through him we found out about the big singalong and we had many of our residents eager to join. They absolutely loved it, and you could see just how much it meant to those who took part in it.
“It made the residents feel very reminiscent of their childhoods, and we even have two residents who served in the forces so it was particularly poignant for them.
“Singing plays a huge role in the care of our residents, and seeing each of them after the performance, and when we showed them the video back, it obvious to see how much of an impact singing can have on their well-being.
“We are always trying to find new and unique ways to provide activities for our residents in a time were visits and sessions can be difficult. We will definitely be collaborating with the Smiling Sessions project in the future.”
Mansfield Care specialise in small, friendly residential care homes in Edinburgh, Borders and west of Scotland; each designed to an exceptional standard with state-of-the-art facilities.
The Mansfield Care ethos is inspired by the kind of care we would wish for ourselves in later life – supportive, friendly, bright, positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.
Although there will be no March Past the Cenotaph this Remembrance Sunday, a National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph will still take place.
The closed ceremony will be broacast live on BBC One and you can tune in from 10.15am as representatives of the Royal Family, the Government and the Armed Forces lay wreaths at the Cenotaph.
In 2020 we pay tribute to the men and women of the Second World War generation, and to those of today’s, who have served and sacrificed to defend our nation.
We remember the collaboration of the Commonwealth and Allied nations who stood shoulder to shoulder then to secure our freedom and the communities coming together today to protect us all.
With many unable to take part in Remembrance services and events this year, you can still play your part from home and take part in a moment of Remembrance by observing the Two Minute Silence at 11am from your doorstep.
Remembrance Sunday service held online to honour the fallen
The British High Commission Singapore, in partnership with the Singapore Armed Forces Veterans’ League (SAFVL), held a virtual service to mark Remembrance Sunday today (8 November 2020).
The ceremony, broadcast at 10.40am (Singapore time) on the High Commission’s UK in Singapore Facebook page, paid tribute to all who had laid down their lives so that the generations after them could live in peace.
In the UK, Remembrance Sunday is held on the Sunday nearest to Remembrance Day on 11 November; the date marks the official end of the First World War in 1918.
As part of the pre-recorded service, senior representatives from the British High Commission Singapore, the Singapore Armed Forces and its Veterans’ League, and UK defence forces laid poppy wreaths at the Singapore Memorial in the Kranji War Cemetery.
The wreath laying was accompanied by a lamentation delivered remotely by bagpipers from the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Police Force.
At 11am, online viewers observed a two-minute silence, in memory of the fallen.
Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Defence Advisers from various nations later joined remotely in pledging ‘We Will Remember Them’, in response to a reading of an excerpt from Robert Laurence Binyon’s ‘For the Fallen’.
A joint choir made up of students from Dover Court International, Dulwich College Singapore, Marlborough College Malaysia and Tanglin Trust School performed the hymns ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’.
In the segment ‘Reflections from Singapore Youth’, members of the Singapore National Cadet Corps Command Band – Swiss Cottage Secondary School shared their personal thoughts on peace and conflict. A bugler from the Singapore National Cadet Corps Command Band also sounded the Last Post and the Reveille.
British High Commissioner to Singapore, Her Excellency Kara Owen, said in her speech: “Normally, we mark Remembrance Sunday together, at a morning service at Kranji War Cemetery. We can’t do so in-person this year. We have to meet virtually instead. But our method of meeting does not dilute our purpose, nor our sincerity.
“Today, we are paying our respects to the fallen and in doing so, we are living out our promise to remember the sacrifices of those – from all nations – who fought and died. A promise to remember their service and re-affirm the values that they fought to preserve.
“And to acknowledge both the courage of those who served their country and our responsibility to work for the peace they fought so hard to achieve.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called on residents in Edinburgh and the Lothians to back this years poppy appeal.
Charities across Scotland and the UK have been facing an unprecedented challenge this year in much needed fundraising efforts, with social distancing restriction limiting physical fundraising events.
The Scottish Poppy Appeal is no different as thousands of their volunteers are forced to stay at home because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The demand on Poppy Scotland’s vital, life changing services for the arms forces community is increasing rapidly and fundraising is crucial to providing these services.
This year Poppy Scotland have changed the way they are fundraising, with a number of initiatives, including donating and downloading a photo of a poppy, or a poppy to colour in and display in your window to show your support, a virtual Field of Remembrance and a pop up shop on Waverly Bridge by Princess St. Gardens.
The Poppy Appeal is Poppyscotland’s most significant fundraising initiative, aimed at generating more than £2 million, which accounts for over half of the charity’s annual income.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“This year the Scottish Poppy Appeal is different to normal, with social distancing restrictions and not being able to go out and fundraise as normal.
“Poppy Scotland have created a number of other ways that people can show their support for our armed forces community and honour those servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives for their country.
“I would encourage residents in Edinburgh and the Lothians to donate virtually and display a poppy in their window to show their support for the armed forces this Remembrance day.”
First Minister to lay wreath at national service in Edinburgh
The National Service of Remembrance to commemorate the sacrifices of the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts will go ahead, but will be closed to the public due to ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
The service has been significantly scaled back, in line with events across the country, to protect public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, given that public gatherings are known to increase the spread of the virus.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will attend the service on Sunday 8 November at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle to pay respects on behalf of the people of Scotland.
The First Minister will give a reading and lay a wreath alongside representatives of the Armed Forces and faith organisations.
Unfortunately, due to the restrictions to manage the pandemic, local remembrance events will not be able to proceed as they have in previous years.
Instead, those who want to honour the fallen are able to do so in the following ways:
joining the two-minute silence at 11.00 on Sunday 8 November from their doorstep as part of their community
by invite to a service at a place of worship with numbers strictly limited by organisers
giving to the Scottish Poppy Appeal to support the important work it does with the Armed Forces community across Scotland
Scottish Government buildings St Andrews House and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh will be floodlit red on Sunday 8 November in support of the Scottish Poppy Appeal.
Veterans Minister Graeme Dey said: “Remembrance Sunday is an opportunity for people in Scotland to join with others across the world to commemorate the enormous sacrifices of the two World Wars and other conflicts, but the pandemic has made that much more difficult this year.
“We understand it will be disappointing to many people that national services will not be open to the public, however, due to the risk of public gatherings spreading the virus and endangering lives, we would encourage those who want to pay their respects to do so safely in other ways.
“It is vitally important that all of us abide by the restrictions to help save lives and protect the NHS as we are remembering the incredible sacrifice that so many have made.”
Dr Claire Armstrong, chief executive of Legion Scotland, said: “It is deeply disappointing that remembrance events are being impacted in this way given their importance to so many people, but maintaining public safety is paramount.
“However, we can and must take time as a nation to observe the two-minute silence safely, and ensure we come together in spirit to pay our respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Rt Hon Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh Frank Ross joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and senior military personnel, members of the wider Armed Forces community and members of the emergency services for the official wreath-laying ceremony at the Stone of Remembrance yesterday. Continue reading Scotland remembers
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
The German President will attend the Remembrance Sunday Service in historic act of reconcilliation
President Steinmeier will attend Remembrance Sunday Service in an historic act of reconciliation to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War
He will become the first German leader to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph ceremony before later attending a service at Westminster Abbey
