November 2017

EDUCATION
Ex-Army officer attacks white poppies in schools
A project to encourage schools to teach
children about white poppies has attracted
criticism from a retired army officer.
First worn by the members of the
Women’s Co-operative Guild in 1933, the
white poppy has become a symbol of
peace and a call to resist war. In 1936 it
was adopted by the Peace Pledge Union
(PPU), the oldest secular pacifist group in
Britain, which now runs the initiative.
Recently, PPU exhibited at the National
Union of Teachers’ conference where
they were approached by 100 teachers
to sell white poppies in schools ahead of
Remembrance Sunday.
The school pack, which costs £60,
includes 100 white poppies in a display
box, alongside an information pack. It was
developed with ForcesWatch, a non-profit
organisation challenging military presence
in education.
But Col Richard Kemp, who commanded
the British forces in Afghanistan, said: “I
think it is perfectly reasonable for schools
to discuss different political perspectives,
but they should not be indoctrinating
children with a left-wing political agenda.”
He added that the red poppy, along with
Remembrance Sunday, were “institutions
of the state” and part of the country’s
tradition. The colonel said the red poppy
was not “a political hobby horse”.
“It is a means of raising money for the
welfare of soldiers and for the families
of soldiers who have been killed, it has a
specific purpose, which is not political,”
he told The Telegraph.
Symon Hill, co-ordinator of the Peace
Pledge Union, responded: “It is bitterly
ironic that pacifists should be accused of
indoctrinating children at a time when
military visits to schools are on the rise
and the number of cadet forces in state
schools has more than doubled in four
years. Far from indoctrinating children, we
are doing the exact opposite: challenging
a one-sided pro-military message and
seeking to ensure that young people hear
different sides of an argument.
“Richard Kemp defends red poppies
on the grounds that they are ‘institutions
of the state’. This is a worryingly
authoritarian phrase. Both red and
white poppies are political, representing
different values. Schools that sell both
white and red poppies are helping young
people to think through their values and
form their own judgements. This is what
education should be about.”
FINANCE
Credit union embraces digital marketing to reach younger members
West Midlands-based credit union
6Towns has moved all of its marketing
online using social media after
seeing its membership shift to a
younger demographic.
Two years ago, the credit union
reviewed its marketing activity, which
used an extensive, time-consuming
physical presence in the community to
increase membership growth.
But when it became more active on
social media, it saw a rapid shift in its
membership demographics – which
means 80% of new members are under 40
and even more aged under 50.
As a result, social media is now 6 Towns’
preferred method of informing existing
and potential members about its services.
In the past 12 months, figures show that
96% of the credit union’s new members
now join online – while 99% of loan
applications are done the same way.
A Facebook page and YouTube account
were set up and the credit union tries to
be as active as possible by posting videos
to Facebook so members feel better
connected and other credit unions can
access their output and find inspiration.
p 6Towns’ online presence helps it connect with new members
Business development manager
Malcolm Keyte said: “I have long been
aware that traditional marketing methods
no longer have the same impact that they
did 10 years ago.
“We now require a greater understanding
of social media and online marketing to
engage with younger members and attract
millennials. There are huge benefits of
being active on social media: I can gather
important statistics about our marketing
through data analytics which gives me
all information I need to position future
marketing efforts.
“A word of warning, though: social
media is not a 9-5 job and does require
someone to post early morning or in the
evening to get the full impact.”
NOVEMBER 2017 | 13