Fun and educational commemoration at Witham St Hughs Academy

Witham St Hughs Academy

The following is written by Witham St Hughs Academy, who took part in our Remember RAF100 project. Would you like to contribute your story about working on one of our projects? We would love to hear from you. Read more case studies here and email contact@big-ideas.org for more information. Read about our current projects here.

To celebrate 100 years of the Royal Air Force, Witham St Hughs Academy had a special visit from Big Ideas. Their aims were to commemorate fallen air personnel and mark 100 years of the RAF, as well to inspire the next generation.

The event took place on the 15th July 2018 and involved a group of students who have a parent that currently serves, or has served, in the Armed Forces. There are 36 students in the group that range from 5-11 years old.

The afternoon began with a presentation by Cpl Matt Jeffrey from RAF Digby. He brought with him the RAF100 baton which has travelled the UK and abroad to areas of special significance to the RAF. The children loved learning about the baton and the materials from which it was made, before having their photo taken with it.

Big Ideas also held a workshop to further educate the children about the history of the RAF and they linked their delivery closely to the school’s location in Lincolnshire. The children read some poetry and then worked in teams to create planes made out of toast or celery! The children thoroughly enjoyed the practical element of the afternoon and thrived in their teams, as the older children supported the younger children brilliantly. It was a really successful afternoon, and Big Ideas were great at encouraging and working with the children.

Finally, as part of the ‘Remember RAF100’ project, every child in the academy was invited to decorate a plane to commemorate one of the air service personnel who gave their life during WW1. In total, Witham St Hughs decorated 360 planes, each inscribed with the name of an individual to commemorate and remember their service in the air forces. The planes have been sent to London to help create a national exhibit later in the year. The planes were a fantastic and exciting way to get the whole school involved and interested in the celebrations.

Big Ideas have been great to work with, and we look forward to working closely with them on any future projects. I would highly recommend their fun and educational workshops for any aged children.

Remember RAF100 is a First World War commemoration programme which marks the formation of the RAF 100 years ago (on 1 April 1918) as well as commemorating the many air service personnel who lost their lives during the First World War. With the project you can discover their stories, remember their contribution, and share your findings with your community.

Would you like to contribute your story about working on one of our projects? We would love to hear from you. Read more case studies here and email contact@big-ideas.org for more information. Read about our current projects here.

Posted 19 July 2018