A SEA of poppies flowing around the Tower of London is one of the most memorable images to come out of Remembrance efforts in recent years.
And it is one which has been recreated in Barnsley, with volunteers having knitted more than 1,500 of the red flowers for the launch of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal today.
The knitted creations form a display at Jump WMC, which hosted Friday’s launch.
Jump Club manager Andy Hodgkinson, who is also the honorary Poppy Appeal organiser for Wombwell this year, has helped organise the launch.
He said: “We also run Toc H from the club and some of the ladies who come along asked if they could help knit some poppies. Of course I said yes - and then they started coming in, in their hundreds.
“I thought we had to do something special with them for the amount of effort they have put in, so I got in touch with the local branch of the Territorial Army. They have kindly let us borrow one of the nets they would throw over a tank for us to attach the poppies to.
“Now it slightly resembles the poppies from London, only these are knitted. And it looks great. I counted them last week and we had 1,175. We have had another 400 to 500 since.”
Royal British Legion representatives from across the Barnsley area have been invited to today’s launch. ‘Poppy Jack’, a dummy decorated with the flowers, as well as a large poppy which people can stand inside, will also form part of the event.
