Welcome to the Coronation Celebration from The Not Forgotten, marking the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, 6th May 2023.
We hope you enjoy this varied selection of music and performance, recorded exclusively for The Not Forgotten by a host of performers and celebrities. Bringing our veteran community together at a historic national moment and lifting spirits through concert entertainment, just as our Founder Marta Cunningham set out to do a century ago.
God Save The King!
To watch the concert in Full Screen mode, simply click the square icon at the bottom far right of the video
We'd love to know what you think of this Coronation Celebration, and hear how you have used it in celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III - let us know on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Full track listing:
1. A message from Richard Arnold
2. The Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, The Boys of the Old Brigade
3. Tom Carradine, I’m Henery the Eighth, I Am
4. Tom Carradine, My Old Man Said Follow the Van
5. Swingtime Sweethearts, We’ll Meet Again
6. The Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
7. Scott Elvis, All Shook Up
8. A message from Craig Revel Horwood
9. Mike Marandi, That’s Amore
10. Andante, Love Me Tender
11. Christopher Gee, Impressions 1
12. Linda Watts, A Tribute to Marta Cunningham, Our Founder
13. Shenton Dixon, Hello Dolly
14. The Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, King of the Road
15. A message from Ash Palmisciano, Natalie Ann Jamieson and Olivia Bromley, from the cast of ‘Emmerdale’.
16. Tony Lorenzo, Any Dream Will Do
17. Steve Galler, Lonnie Medley
18. Jason Allen, You’re My First, My Last, My Everything
19. Christopher Gee, Impressions 2
20. Andante, Lord of the Dance
21. Tee Green, Stand By Me
22. A message from Anthea Turner
23. Lloyd Ellery, Anthem
24. Gary Goodmaze, Crazy Little Thing Called Love
25. Take That Experience, It Only Takes a Minute
26. Variety Collective, Pearly Cockney London Medley
27. A message from Rosie Thompson
28. Swingtime Sweethearts, God Save The King
One of TNF's beneficiaries, Hari Budha Magar (some of you will have met him on our ski trip in 2018) appeared in 'The Sun' last week as they featured his epic quest to conquer Everest as a double-amputee. It's an amazing tale of determination and adventure - and survival against the odds when trapped in a 4-day blizzard in Nepal in December.
Major Sir Michael Parker KCVO, CBE – died November 28, 2022, aged 81
Major Sir Michael Parker, who died on November 28th 2022, has been remembered in the press as the wonderfully charismatic producer of spectacular royal and national events and pageants, including the Royal Military Tattoo and HM The Queen Mother’s birthday pageant in 2000.
Described in his obituary in The Times as ‘pageant master extraordinaire, pyromaniac and ‘accidental showman’’, Sir Michael was also a vital part of The Not Forgotten story.
When he stepped into the life of our charity as our Honorary Entertainments Officer, he took our entertainment to the next level, producing and directing our Summer and Christmas Party entertainments with flair and imagination over many years.
Counting stars of stage and screen amongst his friends, he was able to arrange for leading entertainers to take part including such famous names as Norman Wisdom, Tommy Steel and Cilla Black. During one performance by the then very well-known comedian Tommy Trinder, a message was delivered from the Palace to say that his humour was not appreciated… Michael did not invite him to perform again!
For our 90th anniversary Sir Michael organised an amazing evening of entertainment in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace, a spectacular event many will hold in in their memory forever. Even after retiring as Entertainments Officer, he continued to take an active interest in our activities, and often used to call the office or email just to wish us the very best for our Garden and Christmas Parties.
Sir Michael was always a pleasure to meet: charming, charismatic and always happy to be involved with The Not Forgotten team and the veterans we support. He loved regaling us with stories of events he organised for The Royal Family and what went on behind the scenes which made everyone laugh.
He was a truly lovely, gentle man with a kind heart.
__________________________
Sir Michael’s Thanksgiving Service will be held at The Guards’ Chapel (SW1E 6HQ) on Tuesday 18th April at 2pm, and the Retiring Collection will be split equally between The Guards' Chapel and The Not Forgotten. The family welcome anyone who would like to attend.
Now that the calendar ticks has ticked over into 2023, The Not Forgotten team have been taking stock of the twelve months just gone. A memorable year in so many ways, with big changes to our charity, alongside historic moments as a nation.
In 2022 The Not Forgotten...
With international Covid restrictions finally easing we could, with huge relief, return to a more ‘normal’ year of event programming. In February and March two groups of beneficiaries headed out to Breckenridge in Colorado, USA for our popular skiing respite break. Meanwhile ‘behind the scenes’, we moved into our new offices at Buckingham Palace Road, and in February our Chief Executive, Brigadier James Stopford CBE, announced the end of his time at The Not Forgotten.
In April our seven-week-long tour of Care Home Concerts kicked off, with our beloved forces entertainer Annie Riley bringing music and joy to residents at 62 care homes around the country.
Travel far and wide continued with our innovative ‘Anyone for Tea’ tour in June. Sponsored by Waitrose, we drove a distinctively branded ‘Not Forgotten’ double-decker bus around 11 Waitrose branches from Godalming to Cardiff to Glasgow, serving tea, cake and entertainment to local people and offering a real boost to many isolated veterans around the UK.
May, of course, saw one of the highlights of the TNF calendar: the Buckingham Palace Garden Party. HRH The Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence welcomed 2,200 of our beneficiaries and guests to the Palace grounds and took the time to meet and talk with many of them. In June we were given an incredible opportunity to fly a group to Israel to take part in The Veteran Games in June, competing and collaborating in sports from swimming to CrossFit.
On the sporting theme, throughout the year our days out to sports fixtures are always popular, and we were delighted to be able to take groups of veterans to rugby and cricket matches, a day at Centre Court at Wimbledon in June, the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park (Princess Anne's Gloucestershire home) in August, and Ascot races in November where a race was named in our honour!
Across a summer of heatwaves we continued to deliver our busy events programme with a challenging but exhilarating white water canoeing trip in the French Alps in July, and a calmer day out carp fishing at the River Farm Fishery in Fareham, Hampshire.
In August, The Not Forgotten celebrated its 102nd birthday, and our adrenaline-filled Brands Hatch Track Day made its return, giving veterans the frankly unforgettable experience of being driven as passengers in top-of-the-range cars around the track at 180mph!
We were thankfully able to return in 2022 to running one of the mainstays of our programme, our respite breaks. Week-long trips took place to Jersey in June, France in June and September, Majorca in October, and Ashcombe, Devon in November.
With activities, relaxation and bonding, these unique holidays offer veterans and partners a wonderful escape from their daily struggles and can be truly life-changing, so we are thrilled to have them up and running again.
September saw the arrival of Richard Walker OBE as our new Chief Executive, and a busy month of events to greet him - more care home concerts, afternoon teas, The Orsett Show, the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships 27th Veterans Cruise, our second respite break to Maison 10 in France, and four wonderfully successful Drive-In Concerts around the UK.
In the midst of this, The Not Forgotten joined the rest of the nation in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September. Her Majesty was a long-standing supporter of The Not Forgotten and intimately involved in the military throughout her life, so we were very moved in paying tribute to our remarkable monarch alongside many millions of others.
At the end of September, a group of four veterans plus our own Head of Events, Rosie, took part in the gruelling Marathon des Sables in Fuerteventura. This was just one of the many incredible fundraising initiatives and challenges that were completed by our beneficiaries and supporters during 2022, raising us vital funds. From the New York and London Marathons to classic car events, concert evenings, sponsored litter picks, Christmas raffles, and a 258-mile run in honour of the number of British lives lost in the Falklands conflict. Far too many to list here, but we are hugely grateful to every single one of you who fundraised for us in 2022.
In October we were proud to be the chosen charity for the British International Tattoo in Wrexham, and even prouder when Annie Riley, a familiar face to so many of you as our performer extraordinaire, who invests so much personally in The Not Forgotten every day, received a Best Magazine ‘Hero’ award for her dedication to our work.
Autumn didn’t dampen our busy programme with further respite breaks to Majorca and Ashcombe, Devon, a memorable trip to Bruce Crompton’s personal tank collection, rugby matches at Twickenham, and a moving day with 60 of our beneficiaries taking part in the Remembrance Sunday Parade at the Cenotaph.
December saw another highlight of our calendar, our Christmas Party at St James’s Palace, entertaining 168 veterans and their guests with afternoon tea, a spectacular showcase, and a visit from HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, who spent a long time talking to guests.
We then spread joy and festive entertainment right round the country on our Christmas Lunch tour of eleven venues, where guests from the young to centenarians joined in with turkey and all the trimmings, singing, dancing, silly hats and festive games.
All in all, an eventful year in which we delighted in returning to so much of our pre-Covid programming, as well as developing other initiatives which sprang from the necessity of the pandemic. We loved getting out to so many parts of the UK, interacting with our supporters and beneficiaries face-to-face and continuing to impact thousands of lives for the better by combatting loneliness and restoring dignity and confidence. Here’s to another action-packed year of fun, friendship, challenge and camaraderie in 2023…
As we reach the end of 2022, we're looking back at some of the life-changing projects we've been able to deliver with the generous support of other charities and foundations.
Our 'Anyone for Tea?' bus tour in May 2022 would not have been possible without the donation of a £10,000 contribution to its costs by the Veterans' Foundation.
The bus tour was a huge success - over two weeks we visited 11 Waitrose branches from Godalming to Cardiff to Glasgow, served 2,640 cups of tea and raised £4,500. We anticipate some 9,000 people saw the bus in Waitrose car parks, and an estimated 120,000 would have seen it on the road. Most importantly of all, we reached hundreds of isolated veterans who would otherwise have little contact with anyone in their daily life.
The Veterans' Foundation raises money through donations, fundraising, legacies and a monthly lottery.
They use these funds to support life-changing projects for hundreds of smaller charities and charitable organisations helping provide a better quality of life for our armed forces family.
Find out more at www.veteransfoundation.org.uk
We are deeply grateful to the Veterans' Foundation for their generous contribution to the Anyone for Tea tour.
Over the past couple of months, our fundraisers have been out in force across the country. Between them they've managed to raise a phenomenal sum for The Not Forgotten but have also done a brilliant job in raising our profile as we continue in our efforts to Find the Forgotten.
We are always honoured to be chosen as one of the charities supported by Cuthy's Big Bike Ride, which took place on 2 June and is held in memory of Nathan Cuthbertson who served with 2 Para and was killed by a suicide bomber in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in June 2008. You can find out more about the event, including photographs, here.
This year's Swingtime in the Gardens was a day of of live entertainment from acts like long-time Not Forgotten supporters The Jive Aces, plus vintage clothing stalls, British food, bars and a funfair, and we were thrilled to have been one of the event's chosen charities, alongside Acorns Children's Hospice.
On 22 June Gary Robinson took part in the Midnight Ride around the countryside of Northern Shropshire and parts of Wales. Although he didn't manage to complete the race due to injury, he managed to raise an awesome £400.
On the same weekend, Pete Lygo was once again at the Weston-super-Mare Air Festival, where he managed to raise a phenomenal £1,253.75
Friends of Dale Mallin - a Not Forgotten beneficiary and volunteer - Linda and John MacConnell-Clark managed to raise a whopping £951 (to date) for TNF through their annual charity BBQ, where John and friend Scott took to their kilts to hold an auction before Dale made a moving speech. It sounds like a fantastic afternoon!
Armed Forces Day is one of our favourite days of the year and 2019's celebrations did not disappoint, especially as Diane Mathiot, Ross Griggs and Jon Wort were shouting loud and proud about The Not Forgotten at the Wiltshire Armed Forces and Veterans Celebrations in Trowbridge and managed to raise £501.08. Chris Blick also flew The Not Forgotten's flag at Malvern's Armed Forces Day celebrations.
In the build up to Armed Forces Day, Terry Grimwood set up a fundraising stall outside Waitrose Godalming where he spent 82 hours collecting - that's just over an hour for each year of his life. His commitment certainly paid off as he managed to raise an astonishing £2500! Terry helped promote The Not Forgotten so much that Waitrose also managed to collect £480 through their Green Tokens.
If you would like to fundraise for us, all you have to do is contact the office by calling 020 7730 2400.
Remembering those who have gone before, their sacrifices never forgotten.
Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. Poignant days when we stop our busy lives for just a few minutes to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who have fought for our freedoms.
As the UK and Commonwealth countries respect two minutes’ silence on Sunday morning, 13th November, millions of eyes around the world will be focused on the deeply moving parade and wreath-laying ceremony held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
This year, of course, will be the first year King Charles III lays a wreath as monarch, joined at the sombre occasion by 10,000 others – veterans of all branches of the armed forces, members of the Royal Family, political leaders, and representatives of faith communities.
Most importantly to us, in the parade will also be 60 representatives of The Not Forgotten.
Members of our veteran community from across the armed services, of all regiments, units and ages, will march alongside our Chief Executive Richard Walker, our Chairman and Trustees.
One of these is Dave Hart, an Afghanistan veteran of the Devon and Dorsets, who describes attending the ceremony with The Not Forgotten as a “true honour - you really feel you are at the centre of something significant being marked as a nation". He has taken part in the parade several times before, and is always struck by the unique make-up of the group representing The Not Forgotten: “Most of the groups marching are obvious groups of one service or regiment, whereas we are a varied ‘mixed bag’ which is really special!”.
Dave has been a beneficiary of The Not Forgotten since 2004. He says he has had opportunities through the charity he would never otherwise have had, from running the New York Marathon to competing in the Veteran Games in Israel, as well as strong friendships. To him, it’s this sense of comradeship that is so important. “That constant link, that feeling of commonality and comradeship and shared experience with no judgement. It feels like a family”.
Dave is now a secondary school teacher, which he says adds extra poignancy to taking part in the Remembrance Sunday parade: “This week we discuss Remembrance with the students and it really brings it home for them that I will be there at the Cenotaph. As an educator, I feel I’m carrying the torch for them, too.”
Another of those marching with The Not Forgotten is Giles Price, a veteran Royal Marine who served in the Gulf War. He has been involved with The Not Forgotten for 20 years after being medically discharged from service in the 1990s and has attended the Cenotaph ceremony every year since 2010. He says he appreciates Remembrance Sunday as an opportunity to step away from the daily reality of living with his injuries and see the bigger picture.
“It’s about the wider aspect”, he explains. “The notion of remembering what others have been through rather than focussing on my own challenges. Remembering things bigger than myself and appreciating the wider ramifications of conflicts. My grandfathers fought in World War I and II, so I’ll be wearing their medals and taking those moments to remember the generations gone before, as well as people I served with who are no longer here. It’s about being part of a national thing where we project our minds into something beyond ourselves and our day-to-day worries”.
Steve Kay is a Falklands veteran who has not taken part in the Remembrance Sunday parade for many years, and is this year looking forward to representing The Not Forgotten as a way of giving something back to the charity he says has literally saved his life.
“The Not Forgotten is a lifeline”, he explains. “They have done so much for me. Nothing comes close to it, it’s special. Everyone at The Not Forgotten looks out for you, checks in with you. I can pick up a phone and know that someone will be there to help me. Going to their events keeps me going, gives me things to look forward to and work towards. I honestly wouldn’t be here without The Not Forgotten. So it’s important to me that I can give a little bit back.”
This weekend also gives Steve the chance to attend the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, catch up with fellow Not Forgotten veterans who he’s met at other events, and hopefully cross paths with former shipmates from his active service.
Whether you are attending a memorial event this weekend, or simply observing a two-minute silence at home, we hope you feel connected to the entire veteran community at The Not Forgotten and around the country, as the nation stops for two minutes to ensure no sacrifice is ever forgotten.
The Majorca Daily record ran an article on 26/10/22 about the escape our respite breaks provide and the literally life-changing impact they have on veterans.
Read the article here.
See our own gallery of photos from our Majorca Respite Break in October 2022.
Over the past two weeks, we have been travelling the country on our nationwide bus tour. Bringing tea and cake with a side of entertainment in Waitrose carparks to veterans has been unforgettable, and something that will stay with us for a long time to come. From Godalming to Glasgow, we have travelled hundreds of miles and met so many of you along the way.
Starting off in Godalming before making our way to Southhampton was a great first day, followed by a special stop in Plymouth to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. This gave us a chance to reflect and to ensure that those we lost will never be forgotten. As we sat and listened to stories from all veterans, we took a moment to reaffirm The Not Forgotten's mission; to ensure that not Service or ex-Service personnel feels left behind.
We have been so fortunate with the weather on this trip, as the sun has been shining and we've even had to nip into to Waitrose to get ourselves some sun cream.
We even had some special guests come along to our first stop in week two. Corgis made an appearance in Glasgow to be part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and we are sure that everybody would agree that it was definitely special.
Your support throughout this event has been overwhelming. From popping along to see us, to travelling over two hours to volunteer and lend a helping hand, Anyone For Tea..? has really brought us all closer together. It has reunited old friends, been the bridge between new friendships and has served as a respite from the isolation and loneliness that so many sadly experience.
Our celebrity friends turned up to share stories and songs (and perhaps a slice or two of cake) with veterans of all ages and backgrounds. Mayors, soap stars, Dames and television royalty all turned out to show their support and offer their ears for a sometimes much needed conversation.
As Anyone For Tea..? draws to a close, we celebrate the foundations laid by our founder; Marta Cunningham, who started the charity 102 years ago by bringing tea and entertainment to wounded soldiers who lay in hospital feeling forgotten and left behind. Since then, it has always been our mission to find, and ensure that they remain found, those who are Serving or ex-Service personnel. We wanted to find a way to honour the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands and celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and this was the perfect way to do so.
This tour has been a huge success, and we wouldn't have been able to do it without the generous sponsorship from Waitrose, who kindly part-funded us on this journey, and offered us up their car parks across the country to allow us to set up shop for the day. We are also grateful for the support of Best Magazine, Combat2Coffee and SEADesign. Each of these organisations and businesses have played an instrumental part in making it what it was; a safe space for veterans to find conversation and uplifting experiences.
