Poppy Exhibit

In July 2018 Fleetwood in Bloom focussed on WW1 – 100 years of remembrance, and those lost in the war, with the creation of a display across the town consisting of 10,000 plastic upcycled poppies.

Fleetwood Museum agreed to get involved to showcase the historical significance linking loss through wars, to those lost at sea and how remembrance ensures that history is kept alive so we never forget.

The use of plastic was of particular interest to the museum due to the havoc it has caused in our seas, affecting the livelihood of our fishermen. By upcycling plastic bottles into poppies, using the remainder to creative use in our children’s craft events, meant that together we made a small difference to our planet. We asked the community to come along to two open house sessions to create a poppy in memory of a loved one lost in the war, at sea or a family member lost. Volunteers flocked to paint them. Family groups, town counsellors, community groups and those wishing to remember, resulting in over 200 poppies being made.

Craft co-ordinator Angie Hesketh said ‘As the last of the volunteers left the craft room I quietly read the memories left on the tags. As I collected the poppies, each one of them representing a loved one lost, the powerful message of what we had achieved together, remembering dads, grandads, sons, husbands and brothers – real people, was humbling, and extremely powerful’.

For more info on the museum visit www.fleetwoodmuseum.co.uk