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Llandudno poppy display: a tribute built together

Published on 29 Oct 2024

Each year, as part of Military Week, our Llandudno Centre marks Remembrance with an incredible poppy display. This time is to celebrate our military connections, share stories, connect with other military groups in our community and most importantly, remember those who have fought for our country and freedom.

Since 2016, staff, volunteers, veterans, and local community groups have come together to create a display of knitted and crochet poppies at the Llandudno Centre. The display, cascading from the building and into the grounds, originally consisted of over 3,000 poppies and each year since then the installation has continued to grow.

A Field of Remembrance now forms part of the display in the grounds, with visitors to the Centre for Military week and our Act of Remembrance and coffee morning on Remembrance weekend, able to plant a knitted poppy in the field in tribute to those you paid the ultimate sacrifice.

To create the astounding display blind veterans, volunteers and staff in our creative studio crafted the donated poppies onto drapes and blankets for the installation on the building and wired thousands of poppies ready for planting in the Field of Remembrance.

Support from across the country

This year, we reached out to our community across social media, inviting people to knit, crochet or sew poppies for our Remembrance display at Llandudno. 

Thanks to the incredible response, we received donations of knitted and crocheted poppies from more than 40 individuals, groups, and corporate partners throughout the UK. Veterans, volunteers and staff had the privilege of unpacking these packages, which were filled with handcrafted poppies and notes from across the country.

Blind veterans unpack poppies
Blind veterans unpack poppies
“My father returned safely from the Second World War. I have made my poppies for 20 servicemen who did not”
One of our supporters who took part

Bringing the display to life

With hundreds of donated poppies ready for display, our creative studio at Llandudno became a hub of activity. Blind veterans, staff, and volunteers came together to craft these poppies into drapes and blankets to create the cascading display, while wiring thousands more for planting in the Field of Remembrance. It was truly a team effort, with each person helping to bring this year’s display to life.

Once again, Gwynedd Forklifts kindly supplied a cherry picker to enable us to install the poppy drapes around the entrance to the building and learners from Military Preparation College of Training, Bangor joined us for a day to fill our grounds with poppies in the Field of Remembrance.

A blind veteran and staff member n the studio attached poppies to the netted poppy blanket
Learners from Military Preparation College of Training, Bangor planting poppies in the field
A forklift working at the entrance of the Llandudno Centre

Veterans, staff, and supporters helping build the poppy display

This year the installation of poppies was created at the beginning of October so that Blind Veterans UK could be part of Llandudno’s Poppy Trail whilst ‘The Longest Yarn’ exhibition was on display. As a charity we were delighted to be part of this very special event to mark D-Day 80 and it has been lovely to have so many visitors from across the UK coming to the Centre to view our poppies.

Llandudno Centre entrance with Poppy Blanket - front view
Llandudno Centre entrance with Poppy Blanket - side view
Knitted poppies planted on the filed

Llandudno Centre's entrance decorated with Poppy blanket and planted poppies on the field

"A remembrance of poppies for your display. I hope they bring a smile to lots of faces"
One of our supporters who took part

Thank you to our supporters

This year’s display would not have been possible without the generosity of our supporters. 

Our heartfelt thanks go to each individual, group, and corporate partner who contributed, including Sopra Steria, Thea Pharmaceuticals, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, ESPA College, and local community groups from across the UK. Together, they have helped us create a fitting tribute that reflects our shared respect for all who served.

The poppy installation will remain in place at our Llandudno Centre until Tuesday, 12 November.

If you are part of an organisation that would like to get involved with future projects within our centres or your local community, email our Community Partnerships team.

A group of veterans and volunteers stand outside the entrance of our Llandudno Centre, which is decorated with the cascading poppy blanket
Veterans and volunteers gathered outside our Llandudno Centre

Find out about how our charity will be commemorating Remembrance this year. 

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