Craven College Falls Silent in Remembrance
Craven College joined with the rest of the country to pay respects and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts.
On Sunday 09 November Wesley McGlinchey, Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Student Experience and Level 2 Public Services Student Arthur Booth represented the College at the Remembrance Service at The Cenotaph in Skipton, joining with our local community to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the service of their country.
On Tuesday 11 November, staff and students joined together for our own service of reflection at the Aireville Campus. Our beautiful poppy display was created by students from Plastering, Equine, Carpentry & Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Public Services, Health & Social Care, and Art & Design.
Special guests Polly and Freddy, wearing purple poppies to represent the key roles and extreme sacrifices that animals have made in times of conflict, were ridden up from Craven Arena by Jenny Hartley and Holly Morrow to take part in the event. Whilst Level 3 Year 2 Equine Student Alex Reville laid the wreath on behalf of our Equine department.
Emily Scott, representing the Student Union read the famous and evocative Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen.
Student Services Manager Rosemary Simpson addressed the gathered guests, “We are gathered here today to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who came before us – humans and animals alike – who gave so much for the world we live in today and who keep on giving with the continued conflicts around the globe.
“This year is a special year as Craven College celebrates 200 years – two centuries of growing minds, caring for the land, and serving our community, and that spirit of service is exactly what remembrance is about.
“We are a community built on respect, hard work, and care – for the land, for animals and for one another. For 200 years this College has stood as a place where people from all walks of life come together to learn, grow, and serve the world around them.
“So, as we pause in remembrance, let us make a promise: to honour the past by shaping a future built on understanding, inclusion, kindness, and respect for one another.”
At the service Mel Cairns, Head of Adult Education played the Last Post on the cornet before everyone joined together in an impeccably observed two minutes’ silence.
The wreaths of remembrance were laid by College representatives in front of the outstanding poppy display, including for the first time this year the blue corn poppy, which represents all the civilians who lost their lives in conflicts around the world.
