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Ripon's Remembrance poppy display down to 'community effort'

Tuesday, 2 November 2021 21:00

Ripon’s display of poppies is now installed as a mark of respect - but the Remembrance Day event has also become a tourist attraction.

Ripon’s display of poppies is now installed annually as a mark of respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice - but the Remembrance Day event has also become a tourist attraction.

The town is currently decked with around 65,000 poppies, mostly knitted, which are there as recognition to those who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts. But like the Tower of London poppy installations, which marked the centenary of WW1, Ripon’s display now attracts visitors from many miles away. North Yorkshire’s chairman Cllr Stuart Martin - who helps provide support towards fundraising from his localities budget - has spoken to people in town from Cheshire and Lockerbie, visiting specifically to view the display. Cllr Martin said:

“Those who made the sacrifice we remember gave us the freedom we have today. Without them, we would not be able to do the things we do and it is important to remember them.”

[caption id="attachment_18638" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Some of the poppies on display in Ripon.[/caption] Installing the display annually is a task which requires almost military precision - with volunteers from the Ripon Community Poppy Project, set up with assistance from Cllr Martin and residents Hazel Barker and Carol Dunkley. Displays have been installed around the town and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service staff volunteered to help get the blooms to some of the more hard-to-reach locations. Ripon is a military town and 300 of today’s troops will be present for a Remembrance Sunday service in the Spa Gardens, where Cllr Martin will also attend as County Council chairman, followed by a further service at the Cathedral, where the second of Ripon’s two war memorials is situated. Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.

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