An agricultural society in Cumbria is asking people to hand make and donate poppies to honour and remember those who served in both world wars, including animals that died during them.
Westmorland County Agricultural Society (WCAS) is asking people in the local area to commemorate those service men and women from Westmorland that lost their lives in World War One and World War Two.
The hand made poppies that will be displayed in a special marquee at the County Show called ‘Westmorland Remembers’.
Stephen Procter, Chairman of WCAS, explained: “As the centenary of the First World War is commemorated this year, we wanted to mark this in a thoughtful and visual way at the County Show.
“We have decided to dedicate a special marquee called ‘Westmorland Remembers’ to honour and remember all those who served, died and were affected by both World Wars at home and overseas.
“Our target is to have at least 1,918 poppies, but the sky is the limit and we hope to receive a lot more as our local community gets behind this call to action.”
Purple poppies
As a farming and agricultural organisation, WCAS is also encouraging people to make purple poppies to remember the many thousands of animals that were killed, for example horses, donkeys, dogs and pigeons.
At this year’s Country Fest on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 June, there will be a special area in the Sew Crafty Marquee dedicated to the creation of poppies with help on hand from experienced crafters, so everyone both young and old can take part and make a poppy.
Christine Knipe, Chief Executive of WCAS, said: “The ‘Westmorland Remembers’ Marquee aims to be a very fitting tribute to the sacrifices made by local people during and after the war.
“The display of poppies hand-made by a generation 100 years on from the end of WW1 offers people the opportunity to maybe remember a loved one, family member or just pay tribute to the brave service men and women from Westmorland who fought for the freedom we all enjoy today.”
