In her latest column, Cllr Sarah Bennet-Wake shares her thoughts on Remembrance and the importance of kindness during this difficult time.

Remembrance

Remembrance Sunday is usually one of the highlights in the mayor's calendar with a service at the cenotaph followed by a parade through the town concluding with the mayor taking the salute outside the Town Hall.

With a second lockdown in place, this year's event was a scaled-down affair, a poignant one, nevertheless. Thanks to Macclesfield British Legion, the Round Table, local police and the Town Hall for making this year's event possible.

It was also heartening to see residents paying their own respects on the doorstep. Our estates were decorated with lamp post poppies put up by local councillors and Marshal Peter Lake from the legion.

School children decorated windows with poppies after learning about the origins of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance and hope of a peaceful future.

Did you know the author of the poem In Flanders Field, a doctor Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, was inspired by the poppies growing on the scarred battlefields of Ypres? You can read more at the British Legion Website.

On Armistice Day, 11 November, I was invited to take part in a short service at Puss Bank School and Nursey with a socially distanced Years 5 and 6.

Children were unable to tend Macclesfield war graves however it was heart-warming to see local residents had laid poppies at the graves in Holy Trinity Church, Hurdsfield.

The theme of the Festival of Remembrance reflected on those who lost or risked their lives in World War 2 but also 'the service and sacrifice of those protecting the nation from Covid-19'.

It is important to remember during this second lockdown that keyworkers, service men and women are still risking their lives to protect us from the invisible enemy of Covid-19. We must all play our part in this battle by following simple infection control guidelines; wear a mask, over both nose and mouth, wash or sanitise hands, keep your distance and ventilate enclosed rooms when working in groups.

If you have symptoms, please get in touch with NHS services. Hopefully, a vaccine will become available soon and our medics continue to discover better ways of treating the virus.

This winter is likely to be a difficult one, but we must pull together as a community as we did in the spring.

Diwali

Diwali commonly described as the 'festival of light' is a Hindu festival (which Jains, Sikhs and Newar Buddhists also celebrate). The five day festival is celebrated, this year, between the 12th and 16th November.

Like the Muslim festivals of Eid, Diwali celebrations have been restrained this year because of Covid-19 restrictions. Families have instead celebrated at home or online, decorating houses with lights, preparing family feasts, and exchanging gifts.

Parallels can be drawn with the way Christians and those without faith celebrate Christmas. Whilst we wish our neighbours Happy Diwali, consider what we must do collectively in order to see our loved ones during these special celebrations.

World Kindness Day

The mayor's theme of kindness was inspired by World Kindness Day on 13th November, last year. I was motivated by Year 6 pupils' depth and breadth of their interpretation of what kindness can mean.

Hence the assertion that kindness is about being kind to your physical and mental health, kind to each other, the community, and the environment. This is not just a fluffy concept to emblazon tee shirts, posters, and memes – it is a manifesto for life.

As Ann Frank put it, 'How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution towards introducing justice straight away… And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness."

In a month that we celebrate a festival of light, good over evil, enlightenment over ignorance and remember those lost in war and pandemic we must have hope and faith in humanity that we can get this together.

So, let's be kind in any way you can; a smile, a donation, a gift, phone call, buy local, employ local, support each other for the greater good as we did 75 years ago. Lest we forget.