I had the incredible honour of joining the Remembrance Parade in Ponteland last month. The whole community came together to remember those that gave their lives during the various wars.
Courageous and selfless service and sacrifice from members of all communities and religion joining forces to fight for our freedom. Interestingly one sixth of the British Forces was made up by Indians in the early to mid-1900’s.
The following is an excerpt from a speech I gave as part of my role as Honorary Colonel of the 101st RA Regiment Royal Artillery – an amazing honour bestowed upon me to represent our armed forces and a truly humbling experience given all they have done for us.
Freedom can mean so many different things to us all. Simple things like being free to live and love in a way that suits us. Being free from persecution, being free to pursue our dreams, our ambitions and aspirations.
Freedom is far from simply feeling liberated. Freedom is a sense of belonging, being able to be what you want to be, and realising your ambitions and aspirations. Freedom is fitting in.
However, we all haven’t always been equally free.
Every single inspirational speech ever given, relates to Freedom. From Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream”, Emmeline Pankhurst’s “Freedom or Death” to Winston Churchills “We Shall Fight on The Beaches”. Each one illustrating the fight of those before us to make our world a better place.
There is no doubt that many have suffered injustice. Whether black and ethnic minorities not being given the same opportunities as others, or women being held back or simply not being allowed to vote.
Whilst I truly love our region and there is no other place I would want to be, it hasn’t always been rosy. Growing up I saw first-hand so many injustices and inequality across all communities. From deprivation, discrimination and disengagement. Families struggled to put food on the table, worrying about bills to pay, feeling caged in their own communities.
Being born on the banks of the Tyne in our North East, the greatest region in the world, I never really stopped to consider the importance of freedom. After all we live in a modern, developed free world, and I thought I was living in a free society.
When I was 18 living in a devout Muslim household, I thought freedom was sneaking out of the window to go out with my friends and then sneaking back in. I assumed my late mother mustn’t have known, yet couldn’t quite understand how unlucky I was having to get up at 6am to drive her to the car boot sale in Blaydon every Sunday. I thought freedom was shooting off to London after finishing my studies….yet I could not have felt lonelier.
It wasn’t until later on in life that I realised what freedom truly means. Freedom is equality and equity. Freedom is a sense of, and being part of, a community. A true community recognises and respects differences, making space and a place for us all. Freedom is me being appointed as the first non-military Honorary Colonel of my regiment and feel as though I belong.
There is no better place than our armed forces to experience a sense of belonging, a true sense of community, and there is no other place that I would want to be to share this sense of camaraderie and kinship. Our Armed Forces not only protects our freedom, but also offers freedom by creating a community where every one of us can fit in. Times have changed and certainly for the better. So rather than going to war, we can all do more to become part of this astonishing community – let’s all come together and support our armed forces. Not just on this day but every day.
Lest we forget the contribution of all of those that lost their lives and all of those that continue to serve, especially those that are not with their loved ones this Christmas. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
