Blue class had a special visitor this week. Mary Seacole came in to help the children learn all about the Crimean War and her important work as a nurse. They learned about the values of citizenship and supporting others and had the opportunity to do some role play.

Mary Seacole funded her own trip to Crimea, now part of Ukraine, where she established the British Hotel with Thomas Day, a relative of her husband, Edwin. The hotel provided a place of respite for sick and recovering soldiers. At the time, Mary was as well-known in Britain as Florence Nightingale. Mary’s hotel near Balaclava was very close to the fighting. Mary was able to visit the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded. Indeed, she nursed sick soldiers so kindly that they called her ‘Mother Seacole’.