POPPIES – FROM PILLAR TO POST

POPPIES – FROM PILLAR TO POST

Many of Beckenham’s residents and visitors will have become familiar with the annual sight of St. George’s Church ancient lych gate bedecked with hand-crafted poppies on rustic hessian for November’s Remembrance.

First started in 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1, the yearly display has gone from strength to strength and has become a heartwarming outreach to the local community.  Not only is it a tribute to the fallen but also to Heather and the Flower Team, to the Monday Craft & Chat group and also to Jim, Captain of the Tower bellringer, without whose head for heights it could not happen!

In a year when lives lost were commemorated on the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Day, the Rector,  Jeremy Blunden, inspired by poppies he had seen descending from the arches at a cathedral, spotted some nails protruding high on the stone pillars inside St. George’s and had an idea!  A plea for more poppies appeared on the weekly pew sheet explaining preparations for “something special” were afoot!

How right he was!  With no upper age limit, the youngest knitter is just 6 years old and not only was it the congregation that literally clicked but also the community whose offers of help, frequently from friends of friends,  came as a welcome surprise.

Margretta, the most supportive and community-minded helper in town and Heather have glued poppies onto semi-sheer black voile, now suspended on metal poles fixed to the nails between pillars on each side of the church.  Another will be draped below the pulpit.

A miscellany of sizes, the crocheted and knitted poppies are not just shades of red and black but also include white for the pacifist
and purple for animals lost in conflict.

In a church steeped in a rich history of its own,  there will also be a fascinating display of memorabilia from the wars – photos, poems, stories, books and an embroidery alongside a commanding “figure” of a familiar metal-framed soldier in uniform conjured from the poppies that first saw the light of day in the church 8 years ago.

To coin a phrase, a community that creates together stays together and the result is truly worth seeing!

Jenny Froude