News

On the morning of Armistice Day, 11 November, Trust chief executive, Debbie Richards, placed a poppy wreath on the early train to London. The wreath will join over 100 others at the Paddington War Memorial for a poignant 11am service.

“I was honoured to place our poppy wreath on this morning’s train in memory of our fallen heroes. I am most grateful to the Trust colleagues, who are themselves veterans, who joined me

“The NHS and armed forces share the same ‘service before self’ attitude. There are military bases across our county and we proudly employ a number of military personnel in our services. I hope to see the number of veterans we employ grow over the next year as we begin to embed our Veteran Aware status.

“We also recognise the importance of supporting all veterans’ physical and mental health and well-being.” 

This is the second year the Trust has taken part in Routes to Remembrance which is co-ordinated by The Veterans Charity. Train operators including Great Western Railway support the transportation of the wreaths.

Danny Greeno, Chief Executive Officer of The Veterans Charity, said: “We are so pleased the train operators and so many enthusiastic supporters are joining us on this journey once again.

“The world remains a very uncertain place and with so much recent turmoil, it is events such this that help to bring people together and to remember those who sacrificed so much. If we needed such a reminder, we only have to look at the war in Ukraine, which is raging as we speak.”