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Remembrance Sunday

Katherine Jenkins marks Remembrance Sunday at the National Memorial Arboretum with Chelsea Pensioner and Britain's Got Talent winner Colin Thackery.

Katherine Jenkins marks Remembrance Sunday by visiting the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) near Lichfield in Staffordshire to see how its tranquil surroundings bring comfort and hope to those who鈥檝e lost loved ones in the armed forces. Sean Fletcher hears from Chelsea Pensioner and Britain鈥檚 Got Talent winner Colin Thackery, who performs a special arrangement of the inspirational song You Raise Me Up. The chaplain at the NMA explains how the loss of his young son gives him empathy for those coming to remember loved ones. Katherine discovers how faith sustains a trustee of the War Widows Association whose husband died in the Falklands conflict. And Sean meets a young soldier who found comfort from New Testament words in a treasured family Bible, as he mourned the loss of his friend in the Afghanistan conflict.

Music:
O God Our Help in Ages Past, from Salvation Army, Sale, Manchester
For the Healing of the Nations, from Christ Church, Birkenhead
Abide With Me, from St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen
I Vow to Thee My Country, performed by members of Military Wives Choirs in St Michael鈥檚 Church, Southampton
Eternal Father Strong to Save, from St Michael鈥檚 Church, Southampton
You Raise Me Up, performed by Colin Thackery at the National Memorial Arboretum
O Christ the Same, from St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen

34 minutes

Stories

What is the National Memorial Arboretum?
The Honorary Chaplain of the National Memorial Arboretum, Rev Vic Van Den Burgh, explains to Katherine Jenkins how it is a place of 鈥榣iving memorials鈥 and how the loss of his own young son gives him empathy for those coming to remember loved ones. He stresses that 鈥淩emembrance isn鈥檛 a sad thing. A loss is, 聽but honouring people, remembering their sacrifice, remembering the holes they leave, actually that鈥檚 really healing, it鈥檚 quite restorative.鈥

A Century-Old Army Bible
Former soldier who served in Afghanistan, Curtis Welsby, tells Sean Fletcher how words in a Bible passed down through his family sustained and comforted him after the loss of his fellow soldier Jamie Webb in an explosion. Together Curtis and Sean reflect on the words of Revelation 21 verse 4 which brought hope to Curtis, and go to see Jamie鈥檚 name on the Armed Forces Memorial.

Faith of a War Widow
Now a trustee of the War Widows Association of Great Britain, Christine Tinker lost her husband David - when she was only 25 years old 聽- in the 1982 Falklands Conflict, only 48 hours before it ended. She tells Katherine how faith sustained and comforted her after the shock of hearing about the attack which killed David. 聽She shows Katherine her Elizabeth Cross, given to all next of kin of those who鈥檝e died while in the armed forces, and reflects on the importance of Remembrance

Sean Fletcher meets Colin Thackery
Sean Fletcher meets Colin Thackery, Chelsea Pensioner and singing star who reflects on his military service in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. 聽He describes how the loss of his wife Joan led him to find Christian faith again, and now goes regularly to church. A member of the Royal Artillery regiment, Colin lost many friends in war. He considers this and how it connects with singing 鈥榊ou Raise Me Up鈥.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Katherine Jenkins
Presenter Sean Fletcher
Executive Producer Cat Lewis
Executive Producer Emyr Afan
Producer Mark Warburton
Series Producer Matthew Napier
Production Company Avanti Media

Broadcast