Armed Forces Day | June 2026

City of Wolverhampton Council | West Park

Armed Forces Day 2026 was a gentle, meaningful celebration in West Park, full of pride, gratitude, and family connection. This year, I delivered two workshops for the City of Wolverhampton Council, designed to help children engage with themes of service, compassion, and remembrance in a creative, accessible way.

It was a calm, steady day with families dropping in between stalls, performances, and picnics on the grass. And because this event means a great deal to me personally, I arrived wearing earrings I’d made specially for the day - polymer‑clay bars inspired by my grandfather’s WWII medal ribbons, arranged in Morse code to spell his initials. He was a wireless operator who loved teaching me Morse code as a child, so it felt like a quiet way to carry him with me.

Learning Materials: Medals, Stories & Service

To support the workshops, I created a set of illustrated learning materials that families could explore before or after making their crafts.

These included:

• Reference sheets of British military medals from pre‑WWI, WWI, WWII, and more recent campaigns.

• Story displays of animals awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, including Simon the ship’s cat, Winkie the messenger pigeon, and Rip the stray-turned-hero dog.

These resources helped children understand the symbolism behind medals and the incredible bravery shown by both people and animals in times of conflict.

Medal of Me | Craft Foil Embossing

The Medal of Me workshop taught children how to design and emboss their own personal service medal using craft foil — a tactile, satisfying process that made them feel like real medal‑makers.

Children began by choosing one of the pre‑made medal ribbons I’d prepared in advance, each one using colours associated with the Armed Forces — Navy, Air Force Blue, and Red. Every ribbon was finished with grosgrain clamps, lobster clasps, and brooch pins, so each child would leave with a wearable medal.

Once they’d selected their ribbon, they learned the wonderfully curious skill of writing backwards. To emboss words onto the foil so they appeared correctly on the front, children wrote their chosen word on paper, flipped it over, traced the reversed letters, and then copied that reversed version onto the craft foil using embossing tools. It became a moment of discovery — a little “secret code” that they were delighted to master.

With styluses and embossing tools, they pressed patterns, borders, stars, and their reversed lettering into the foil before mounting it onto their ribbon to complete the piece.

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One child made a medal for their father because it had recently been Father’s Day — a small, heartfelt moment that captured the gentle tone of the workshop. Explore more about values‑based making.

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Service Animal Shields

The Service Animal Shields workshop was simpler, more immediate, and perfect for younger children. It celebrated the role of service animals — guide dogs, therapy animals, police horses, search‑and‑rescue dogs, and the many animals recognised for bravery during wartime.

For the Service Animal Shields, children started by choosing a wooden shield blank — a sturdy, tactile base that immediately felt official and important. They then selected an animal silhouette from the worksheets I’d prepared, featuring simple outlines of dogs, horses, pigeons, cats, and other animals connected to service roles.

Children who didn’t feel confident drawing freehand used carbon transfer to add their chosen animal: placing the silhouette beneath the shield, rubbing over the lines, and revealing a faint outline ready for decoration. This made the activity accessible for all ages and abilities.

Once their animal was in place, children decorated their shields using acrylic paint pens, adding bold borders, stars, hearts, and messages of thanks. The pens gave strong, opaque colour with no mess, allowing children to create expressive, meaningful tributes to the animals who support and protect people in so many ways.

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Children were encouraged to think about animals they felt should be remembered, or animals that brought them comfort and support in their own lives. Many shields became tributes to beloved pets — a touching reminder that service and support come in many forms.

The Atmosphere at West Park

West Park had a gentle buzz all day — military displays, live performances, food stalls, and families enjoying the sunshine. The workshop table sat just off the main path, becoming a small creative pocket where children could pause, make something meaningful, and take home a handmade reminder of the day.

Because the event was smaller in scale, families stayed longer, chatted more, and often made both activities. It felt personal, calm, and connected — a lovely contrast to the huge, high‑footfall events elsewhere in the year.

Reflections

Delivering the Armed Forces Day 2026 Family Workshops was a quiet joy. The activities were simple, meaningful, and rooted in themes of pride, compassion, and remembrance — and families embraced them with warmth and enthusiasm.

The learning materials added depth, helping children understand the stories behind the symbols they were using. And wearing my Morse‑code medal‑ribbon earrings felt like a small way to honour my grandfather’s service — a reminder of the personal histories that sit behind national commemorations.

I’m proud to have contributed to Armed Forces Day this year, and grateful to everyone who stopped by the table to make something colourful, expressive, and full of heart.