New Mansfield appeal for 3,000 knitted poppies

Poppies covering the front of the Town Hall building

Mansfield District Council is again appealing for people to knit poppies to help decorate the town for Remembrance Sunday.

For the past two years, residents - and people from further afield - have supported the People's Poppies campaign by knitting more than 15,000 poppies for spectacular displays on the Old Town Hall.

Now the council is appealing for people to get out the knitting and crochet needles again so it can add to the adornments around the town. It is aiming to add another 3,000 poppies to the displays.

In particular, it is asking people to make poppy bunting by knitting and stitching together two-metre strings of poppies and providing poppies to decorate other parts of the town centre, including, for instance, the Bentinck Memorial. 

The council also hopes to provide a poppy scarf for the leaning man statue at the bottom of Church Street, which is on the route of the Remembrance Day parade. 

Cllr Stuart Richardson, Portfolio Holder Regeneration and Growth, said: "We want to make the town centre look even more stunning for Remembrance Sunday to show respect for the those servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Let's show how much Mansfield cares by supporting this uplifting appeal."

The displays will go up in time for 10 November and will adorn part of the route for the Remembrance Sunday parade, which goes through the town centre via West Gate and into the Market Place on the way to St Peter's Church.

The Royal British Legion is again supporting the call for individuals and groups in the local community to get involved by contributing to the display.

Michael Beresford, Mansfield's Poppy Appeal Organiser, for the Royal British Legion, said: “The people of Mansfield have been so generous towards the Mansfield People’s Poppies and Poppy Appeal over the years, and we hope that support continues this year. It provides invaluable help for servicemen and women and their families.”

Last year, the flood of poppies coming into the council, came from far and wide. They included 400 knitted by a 97-year-old lady from Spalding in Lincolnshire.

The People's Poppies campaign followed the success of the authority’s yarn bombing display for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations in 2016.

Poppies can be dropped off at the Civic Centre, Mansfield, marked for the attention of the Marketing and Communications team.

They will be collected until Friday 20 September and opportunities will be held in the Market Place in the autumn at which supporters can help create the garlands. Full details will be announced in the coming months.

Remembrance Sunday is a memorial day for all British and Allied servicemen and women who have died in active service in various wars and conflicts since the First World War. 

If you are interested in helping you can speak to the Events team on 01623 463376 or email events@mansfield.gov.uk for more information. Details and poppy knitting patterns to download can be found online at www.mansfield.gov.uk/poppies

Published: August 7th 2019