West Notts students honour the fallen at annual Armistice Day parade

Students at West Nottinghamshire College paid tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice as they staged their sixth annual Remembrance Day parade – while classmates proudly represented the college at a national conference in Birmingham.

Almost 100 uniformed protective services (UPS) students came together on 11 November to welcome dignitaries, staff, family members and friends to the traditional service at the college’s Derby Road campus.

The commemorations combined a meticulously rehearsed military-style drill display, readings, wreath-laying ceremony and two minutes’ silence with an exhibition of student research exploring wartime history, military service and personal stories of courage and sacrifice.

The event was coordinated by Uniformed Protective Services students Lexie Saunders and Ava-Rose Walls, who took responsibility for organising their classmates and ensuring proceedings ran smoothly.

For Lexie, who also helped organise last year’s ceremony, it was another opportunity to put her leadership skills into practice.

She explained: “Last year I organised it with one of my friends, and this year I stepped up again and asked to do it. Ava-Rose was absolutely willing to help. Everyone co-operated really well and together we managed it.”

The parade itself featured 15 students from across the college’s Level 1, 2 and 3 UPS programmes, led by Callen Barrowcliffe, who expertly co-ordinated the group’s precisely timed drill movements.

Cameron Roberts delivered the Exhortation from Laurence Binyon’s For the Fallen, before the Last Post sounded.

Vinnie King then read the Kohima Epitaph, followed by the laying of wreaths by invited dignitaries.

Vice-principal Louise Knott addressed the gathering and also laid a wreath, while Lexie and Ava-Rose laid a wreath representing their fellow students.

Alongside the parade, guests explored an exhibition of research projects prepared by students, who had investigated military history, wartime experiences and the lives of those who served.

Other projects explored the experiences of First World War soldiers and the horrors of the Holocaust, including research by Krystian Kawecki into conditions at Auschwitz and Ellie Wilson into Holocaust survivor and human rights campaigner Elie Wiesel.

Students also shared family histories, artwork and poppy displays, inviting visitors to discuss their findings and reflect on the experiences of previous generations.

Meanwhile, at the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) annual conference in Birmingham, the college’s second contingent of UPS students delivered their own remembrance drill before an audience of more than 1,500 people.

Their participation followed a suggestion to the AoC by principal Andrew Cropley, who recognised the high standards and professionalism consistently demonstrated by students at the college’s annual commemorations.

Programme area leader for uniformed protective services Simon Humphreys accompanied the group to Birmingham’s International Conference Centre, supporting them as they represented the college on a national stage. 

Simon said: “It was an incredible honour for our students to represent the college at such a prestigious national event. They demonstrated outstanding professionalism, discipline and respect throughout the ceremony, and the response from the audience was exceptional. I could not have been prouder of them.”