Chichester schoolchildren present hand-made poppies to former veteran

Children from year groups 5 and 6 at the Claypit Lane school, which works closely with Chichester housebuilder Barratt Homes, each made a poppy with materials donated by Barratt, and gave them to the visually impaired ex-military man from Hassocks in West Sussex.

Alan, who served in the Army for 15 years from 1975 to 1990, visited the primary school with local charity, Blind Veterans UK, and spoke to the pupils about the importance of Remembrance Day. Speaking candidly about his time in the Armed Forces, the veteran then answered questions from the group of schoolchildren who were interested to hear about his experiences.

Blind Veterans UK helps vision-impaired ex-servicemen and women to rebuild their lives after sight loss, and Alan has been a member of the charity since 2013 after suffering from a condition that affected his sight in 2012.

The charity worked with Barratt Homes to arrange the special morning at March C of E Primary, and Alan felt honoured to be invited.

He said: “When Blind Veterans asked if I’d be interested in talking to local children about my time in the military, I jumped at the chance. It was a real honour to be able to share my experiences with the next generation here and I was overwhelmed to receive their hand-crafted poppies. I felt quite emotional.”

Barratt Homes, which is bringing new homes to the region, works alongside former veterans and supports a number of causes and charities associated with the Armed Forces.

Brad Freer, Barratt Homes Assistant Site Manager, was in attendance. An ex-forces worker himself, he was taken on by the developer via its Armed Forces Transition Programme, which takes on former services personnel and trains them up to be site managers at its Barratt and David Wilson developments.

Brad said it was a wonderful event to be a part of and “to hear from Alan and see the children asking questions ahead of Remembrance Day, was just incredible.”

He added: “As an ex-forces member myself, this is an important day in the calendar for me, as well as for Barratt Homes. The housebuilder is a great supporter of the Armed Forces and has provided a great transition into the world of work for me.”

Head teacher at March C of E Primary School, Nicky Metcalfe, formerly worked at a base camp in Germany. She said: “We make sure to mark Remembrance Day in school each year, and we like to explain to the children just how important it is to remember those who have served our country.

“Welcoming Alan here today has been amazing, and I know the kids will be talking about him for days and weeks to come. A huge thank you to him, as well as to Barratt Homes and Blind Veterans UK.”

Alan Walker left school at 16 and joined the RAF. After eight months, in November 1975, he moved to the Army and joined the Royal Corps of Transport, serving in the UK, Germany and the Falklands until August 1990. Following service, he moved to London and worked as a chauffeur/bodyguard.