Eastleigh College Public Services’ students raise awareness across the College of The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, by creating a display of poppies with hand-written heart-felt messages.
To mark Remembrance Day, students studying Public Services wanted to show special significance to those that made sacrifices in the Armed Forces community, past and present. The students sold poppies and encouraged both staff and students to share their emotions by writing a message on a large poppy and adding it to the display.
Gemma, a student studying Public Services explains, “It was a way for us to respect those who put their lives at risk for us and is still relevant to those in and supporting the Armed Forces today. Some people struggled with what to write, so we encouraged them to write their feelings and thoughts towards the Armed Forces. For those who had lost someone serving in the Armed Forces, we suggested they could write down something they would say if they could speak to them again.”
Ayden, another Public Services student involved in the remembrance activity notes, “I was surprised how many people got involved. It wasn’t just about raising money, it was about getting people in College to think about what Remembrance Day means to them.”
Students studying Public Services are looking at careers in both military and emergency services, value the country’s military history and understand the impact of war.
Helen Carr, lecturer in Public Services explains, “Supporting the Royal British Legions’ Poppy Appeal has given our students the opportunity to reflect on the reality and potential consequences of life in the Armed Forces, which is a career they may go into. Creating the poppy display in College brought the focus of remembrance to the whole college and gave others the opportunity to reflect and take a moment to acknowledge the sacrifices others have made for our country.”
To find out more about the Public Services courses offered at Eastleigh College visit our courses webpage, call 023 8091 1129 or email goplaces@eastleigh.ac.uk.
