Remembrance Day Service Many Voices One Humanity

On Tuesday 11 November 2025, Leigh Stationers’ Academy held its annual Remembrance Day Service, Many Voices – One Humanity. Led by Vice Principal Mr Smith, this year’s service brought together over 1,000 students, staff, and guests from The Stationers’ Company.

Principal Mr Sparks opened the service by reflecting on the words of Maya Angelou: “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” He explained how Angelou’s call to confront the past with honesty and empathy connects to this year’s theme, “Many Voices – One Humanity.” Mr Sparks invited students and guests to listen to the voices of those who served, those who rebuilt, and those who still live with the cost of conflict—reminding all present that remembrance is not only about memory but about action: showing courage, compassion, and unity in everyday life.

This year’s service included:

Parade by the Combined Cadet Force: The ceremony began with a parade led by the Combined Cadet Force, marking the start of the day’s commemorations.

Choir Performance: The Year 7 and 8 Choir performed Pie Jesu, composed by Mr Yeates and conducted by Ms Yeates, written especially for the academy’s remembrance services.

Readings: Major Wilson from the Combined Cadet Force read The Parable of the Good Samaritan; Professor Linda Drew, Chair of Governors, read In Flanders Fields by John McCrae; pupil representatives from Angelou, Caxton, and Hansard Colleges delivered a poignant reading of Poppies by Jane Weir; and pupils from Equiano and Woolf Colleges read the Kohima Epitaph.

Laying of Wreaths and Poppies: Representatives from The Stationers' Company and Leigh Academies Trust laid wreaths alongside pupil representatives, who did so on behalf of their respective colleges. All students were then invited to lay a poppy at the end of the service, making remembrance a personal and reflective experience for every attendee.

Mr Smith concluded the ceremony by thanking all who contributed to the service and reflecting on this year’s theme, “Many Voices – One Humanity.” He reminded those gathered that remembrance is not the story of one person or one nation, but the shared story of all humanity. Drawing on the readings, he highlighted the diverse voices heard during the service: the mother’s voice of love and loss in Poppies, the fallen soldiers’ enduring message in In Flanders Fields, and the timeless call to compassion in The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Each, he noted, adds its own harmony to a collective act of remembrance. Mr Smith urged students to carry the spirit of remembrance beyond the ceremony—through their words, actions, and daily choices—honouring the past by building peace in the present.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE: MANY VOICES, ONE HUMANITY