Stories behind poppy display move team to tears

Joe Bilton / BBC An angled birdseye photo of a clock tower. It acts as a roundabout and is surrounded by green grass which is covered in poppies. There are multiple cars and a bus going round the roundabout.Joe Bilton / BBC
The display features a total of 37,082 handmade poppies donated from around the world

A Remembrance Day memorial featuring 37,082 poppies donated from around the world has gone on display.

It is on show at the Skegness clock tower in Lincolnshire after the Royal British Legion (RBL) appealed for people to create the flowers.

Organisers were then inundated with poppies from as far as Spain, Sweden, Hong Kong, Bermuda and Canada.

Louise Clarkson, secretary of the RBL Skegness branch, said: "What's been more incredible is the stories behind them and why people have done it."

Natalie Bell A woman with blonde and brown ombre hair wearing a purple coat. She is stood in front of a poppy display. Natalie Bell
Louise Clarkson said the poppy donations "just grew and grew"

Ms Clarkson added: "A lot of people needed some sort of community to be part of and we've been having little notes put in the bags that they've donated, so there's not a day that's gone by where one of us hasn't been in tears.

"We asked for poppies to be made because we had an idea we might have a small display and it just grew and grew."

Multiple volunteers have spent months working on the display at the town's Hildred Centre.

It took more than three hours to build and it will be in place until 12 November.

A clock tower in the middle of a roundabout has poppies either side of it. There is a grass front with a fish and chip shop in the background.
The display has gone on show around Skegness clock tower

Tracy Turner, vice-chairwoman of the RBL Skegness branch, described it as "the most emotional journey ever".

"Thank you is two words that doesn't seem to cover. Thank you for remembering the fallen."

People ranging from 2 years old to 98 have contributed, with the latter knitting a poppy each day on the run-up to the reveal, Ms Turner said.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Related internet links