H & S regulations and Poppy sales

[hmb]

Our Y 11 students are selling poppies for rememberence day in school. I think this is a great thing for them to do, it jives us all a chance to think about the awfulness of war, think about the sacrifices that have been made for us and it raises money to help veterans.

So far so good.

It was anounced in school briefing that the students were not allowed to provide a pin for the poppy for heath and safety reasons. They could give you one if you asked for one, but could not do so unless you asked. What the F???

We are marking the sacrifice that young men and women made, many not much older than the kids in this secondary school. We are remembering the horrors inflicted on men women and children, and we can't use a pin ffs because it is too dangerous! What sort of society are we making for these kids? (god I sound like disgusted Tumbridge Wells!)

It's not just in schools. I tried to buy a poppy in a shop last week, but came away without one because the lady on the till said that in general poppy sellers aren't supposed to display pins with the poppies, and the shop's manager had decreed that they weren't even allowed to have them behind the counter as they were dangerous and could be used as a weapon!

I find it quite insulting to the memory of the young men and women who made that sacrifice that pins should be deemed as weaponry.

Conversely, in dd's school (she's 4) they are selling them with pins, which could be deemed a bit dangerous.
I bought one and pinned it on and then realised it was completely impractical to have it pinned on with a small baby so I had to remove it.
However overall I agree with you that it's absurd. How much damage could you do someone with a pin even if you wanted to?

how pathetic

what are we teaching our kids by taking things to such ridiculous extremes

oo that makes me mad

Needles and pins are considered weapons, they are banned on many flights, as cross-stitchers could hi-jack planes with their blunt needles. If it weren't so serious a subject it would be laughable.

Incidentally, I have seen some people wearing poppies with backs on like ear-ring butterflies - you know the sort, you push the spike through the material and push a cover onto the back. I wonder if those would be deemed more suitable for Y11 to sell, hmb?

Quite! It made me feel rather ill with suppressed fury at this sillyness. How can they learn to make choices about risks when we do this to them???

Just another example of the world gone quite barmy!!!

Absolutely ridiculous.

So presumably no-one will be able to wear their poppies on planes! Madness! Must think of that when flying home later this week!