Last week a group of Cisco UKI Enterprise Networks specialists spent the day at The Poppy Factory.
We worked alongside veterans and dependants to contribute to the huge number of poppies made every year to be sold across the country for The Royal British Legion.
What we didn’t know was that The Poppy Factory is a separate charity from The Royal British Legion, raising its own funds and carrying out its own work supporting returning veterans. When it was founded in 1922 it provided direct employment in the factory making the poppies. Since 2010 most of its work is carried out by its employment service that has proudly supported over 1400 veterans into civilian jobs across the country.
There are 2.5 million veterans in the UK who have served in our armed forces. One in five of those have long term health needs related to military service. And 50% of these are believed to be unemployed for over 6 months.
It was humbling to meet the veterans that continue to work in the factory and hear some of the stories of the veterans who have found fulfilling and rewarding new civilian careers. Getting secure employment and learning how to transition to ‘civvy’ life is vital in helping restore self-esteem and financial independence.
Inspired by the people we met and the stories we heard four of our enterprise network specialist team are swapping making poppies for sleeping in ice-caves! They will be taking on an Arctic Survival Challenge to raise £10,000 for The Royal British Legion, braving temperatures as low as -30oc all with no Wi-Fi or connectivity!
It won’t be nearly as challenging as some of the experiences our military veterans have endured to keep our country safe, but it’s as close as we can get. The funds raised will help the Royal British Legion continue to carry out its own vital support providing services for recovery, rehabilitation and transitioning to civilian life; along with research and campaigning for improvements to the health, finances and wellbeing of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families.
If you would like to support this fantastic cause then please head to our JustGiving page. However much or little you can spare will be appreciated. If you would like to be a corporate sponsor (like our awesome friends at ebb3) then please get in touch with okenward@cisco.com to find out more.
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