Usually with Remembrance Day, most of the population of Cheltenham would gather along the promenade to pay their respects, but this differs in a COVID 19 era where large scale events are impossible to take place. Luckily, smaller scale events were able to take place as well as coverage of online events from the University of Gloucestershire being available for people to view.
Usually, as Simon Witcombe from the Chaplaincy team university of Gloucestershire explained via an online meeting with students, there would be an event at each campus where people would gather between 10-11 ready for the two minutes of silence to remember the fallen. On Oxstalls campus last year, approximately 150 people gathered, and poppies were dropped down from the balconies as per tradition. Unfortunately, due to COVID guidelines, it would be impossible for this to take place this year.
The solution that Simon and some talented TV Production students came up with the plan to shoot a video at Oxstalls Campus in a garden created in 1940 to commemorate 50 years of the college. Simon went along himself with the students, the Vice-chancellor, a paramedic student and a nursing student to film this video, not only to commemorate those who fell in the war but also those who have tragically lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic. The video, linked at the bottom of this article, was streamed on YouTube at approximately six minutes to 11 to then run to six minutes past, including the two minutes of silence of commemoration at 11 o’clock and short interviews with the healthcare students and a recital of ‘These are the Hands’ by Michael Rosen.
“Remembrance for me is quite an important time, its important to remember the sacrifices that they have given for the freedoms we enjoy today,” Oliver, one of the healthcare students, said, highlighting how it’s key to keep traditions like Remembrance going in these times of uncertainty.
COVID has clearly had a huge impact upon Remembrance Day; nationally the Royal British Legion gained £50 million to help benefit veterans and their families in times of difficulty. Cheltenham itself has raised £600k over the last six years, but with the cuts that Roy Roberts, the chairman for the Cheltenham Branch of the British Legion, explained, it seems like £100k is an incredibly unlikely target to be reached this year.
“In normal times, we would collect through street collections, shops, the regent arcade and, of course, all that’s had to stop. Usually we would issue around 1000 poppy tins but this year, only 200 have been sent out, mostly to schools so we are going to be a long way short of £100k,” Roy said. Remembrance holds great significance to Roy and, with all the changes that have had to be put in place this year, he said “it’s very surreal” as it’s not what people are used to every year.
Whilst this year has definitely been a difficult one and full of uncertainties, it is important to keep Remembrance Day alive to remember those who fell for us so we can be here today.
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