Hand made poppies on display to mark Remembrance in Redlynch

They've been created by villagers throughout this year

Author: Faye TryhornPublished 6th Nov 2022
Last updated 7th Nov 2022

Hundreds of hand made poppies have been hung above a war memorial in a south Wiltshire village.

They've been created by members of the public in Redlynch, after an appeal earlier this year.

Veteran Jim Pearce, and member of the local branch of the Royal British Legion, is behind the scheme:

"My wife did 200 of these, one lady in Essex brought 400 back with her! The purple ones are for the horses that were killed in the First World War."

The creation, which measures 17 feet square, has now been installed at the war memorial, with help from Salisbury Fire Station.

The poppies have been hoisted up with the help of a firefighters' cherry picker!

It'll even be illuminated each night, to make sure people can experience the display at all times.

Salisbury's MP, John Glen watched it go into place:

"This is an amazing innovation on behalf of the local community. It's a remarkable memorial to all those who gave their lives. It's also wonderful to have children from the local school here too, reconnecting with their history."

Local school children watched the poppies going into place

2,500 of the crocheted poppies are part of the display, which will be in place until Remembrance Sunday commemorations on November 13th.

Local MP John Glen says it's a fitting tribute:

"I'm very lucky that I've got a grandmother who's 102 still with us, who lived in Salisbury between the two world wars. But I think for the younger generation to have this physical representation of those lives taken during those conflicts is wonderful. It's a great community effort, and a source of a lot of pride for a lot of people."

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