Trust honours armed forces at Remembrance Day service in Leighton Hospital chapel

Veterans, patients, visitors and staff took part in a Remembrance Day service at Leighton Hospital to honour the sacrifice of the armed forces community.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals’ Veterans Awareness Group helped to organise the event in the chapel, which included hymns, prayers, the Last Post, and a two-minute silence.

Among those to speak was hospital Porter Darren Hough, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Combat Medical Technician.

He highlighted the physical and mental health struggles faced by many veterans and the importance of providing support for them.

Wreaths were laid by Joanne Leese, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Volunteer Veterans Lead, and Councillor Dawn Clark, representing Crewe Town Council.

During November, the Trust also encouraged staff to decorate their hospital wards and departments with items to mark the period of remembrance.

The Veterans Awareness Group handed out ‘best dressed’ awards to joint winners, Ward 6 and Ward 4.

Members of the group and the Royal British Legion Crewe Branch were also at the hospital’s Crossroads this week, selling poppies and other remembrance items.

There is more information about the Trust’s support for the armed forces community and commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant at: 

https://www.mcht.nhs.uk/armedforces

Say you served:

Mid Cheshire Hospitals encourages armed forces veterans to say they served when using health and care services.

Veterans are urged to speak up about their service so hospital staff can:

• understand and meet their needs;
• link them with a Trust armed forces champion;
• connect them with charities or other organisations that provide specific support.

The Trust’s Veterans Awareness Group also highlights the importance of all members of the armed forces community speaking up when receiving healthcare, including serving personnel, reservists, and their immediate family.

Registering with a GP:

When recruits leave the UK Armed Forces, it is also particularly important for them to register with an NHS GP practice and tell them they’ve served.

This means their GP can better understand their health, particularly any health problems relating to their time in service.

More information is available here: 

nhs.uk/veterans

Veterans Awareness:

Mid Cheshire Hospitals signed the Armed Forces Covenant in the summer of 2022 and the Veterans Awareness Group was also formed at the organisation.

The Trust achieved Veteran Aware status in May 2023 and retained the prestigious title in the summer of 2025.

In November 2024, the Trust also received a top national honour for supporting the armed forces community, claiming a Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

More information:

The Mid Cheshire Hospitals website includes contact details for the Veterans Awareness Group, as well as links to organisations that can support the armed forces community. The page also has information about the Trust’s approach to employing veterans and its support of the Armed Forces Covenant.

For more information, visit: 

mcht.nhs.uk/armedforces