Ripon's famous poppy display returns this weekend
Thousands of poppies will be hung around the city to remember fallen soldiers.
Last updated 16th Oct 2020
If you're out and about in Ripon this weekend make sure you look out for the thousands of poppies which are being displayed around the city.
It's to honour the country's fallen soldiers as we approach Remembrance Day.
It's the third year the city's made the display - the first was in 2018 on the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War One.
Three years ago, members of Ripon's Community Project put an appeal online asking for people to donate poppies for the display and they were inundated with crocheted flowers sent from across the globe.
Over 60,000 poppies have been distributed across the city in previous years, but unfortunately the team decided to scale down the display because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hazel Barker from the Community Poppy Project, said: "We've had so many people help us put the display out in the past but because of the virus we had to scale it back this year.
"Lots of people reached out to us saying they wanted to help this time around but we've just got a small team this year to keep everyone safe.
"There'll still be a lot of poppies going out this year but just not as many as previous years."
As well as the poppy display being scaled back, there'll also be no service at the city's war memorial as there had been in previous years.
Instead, the group are asking people to observe the two minutes silence on their doorsteps on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Mayor Stuart Martin, said: "In the same way as people came out and clapped for key workers on a Thursday, we're asking people to come and observe the two minutes silence on their doorsteps.
"We're just having to do it slightly different this year to keep people safe. You don't have to be at the war memorial to pay your respects. I know it's not the same but we're not in the same world anymore."
Previous poppy displays in the city gained national and international following.
The display will be completed by Sunday morning, when the city's fire offices hang the remaining poppies on the front of Ripon Town Hall.