Skegness Poppy Appeal update
The final push is taking place to make sure poppies are firmly in place for the Remembrance display planned for the Clock Tower in Skegness. Lincolnshire World went along to check on progress.
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00:00Now we've come along to the clock tower because as you can see the broken wall
00:06has now been mended ahead of what is expected to be a magnificent poppy
00:14display which everyone will get to see later this month. Now I have two veterans
00:21here who have been involved in the Poppy Appeal. How do you think it's looking?
00:28Well it's outstanding isn't it? It's just unbelievable the support that we've
00:33had from the community and the world wide really. I think if the community hadn't got behind us as well, it wouldn't have gone as well.
00:42They really have put an effort in the community, it's amazing to see.
00:46Because obviously this clock tower, when all these thousands and thousands of poppies are put in place is going to look spectacular isn't it?
00:55When you go into the poppy shop at the minute, as we're calling it, the love coming from the walls is tangible.
01:02It's absolutely unbelievable, it's just, people walk into the building and just start crying.
01:08Well shall we go and have a look and see how things are going there?
01:12Yeah!
01:24The poppies are looking absolutely amazing. Some have come from all over the world and there are some special stories connected with them aren't there?
01:35Can you tell us some of those stories?
01:37Some of the stories have had us crying. Up here we've got a wooden poppy and that was brought in by a lady.
01:45The story behind these ones are her mum stayed with her during Covid and to keep them occupied her mum used to make ladybirds of little pebbles.
01:54Her mum sadly died earlier this year. So they've done these in memory of her mum and they've put ladybirds on.
02:01And her mum liked a bit of bling so they put some glitter on them with her mum's nail polish.
02:08It's incredible the stories. We've had a tag here from Heather, she's now joined our branch. Heather is from down London and those are for those that, in memory of those that lost their own battles.
02:23We've got some different colours in there.
02:27So these are for the animals. Obviously the animals shouldn't be forgotten. Schools. The different demographics that have come together to do this is incredible.
02:39It really is breathtaking. All different demographics from the diversity of everybody. We've got 2 year olds, we've got 98 year olds, we've got the county care, we've got other people.
02:53We've had some over here from, if you could start to come over here.
03:06So this poppy here and this poppy here are all the way from Hong Kong. They were knitted by some ladies in Hong Kong.
03:15And how did they get involved?
03:18Social media. Social media has been our absolute king. We've reached out. I've got poppies further down. Somebody's come in, a relative from Canada sent them to them, they've brought them in.
03:29Same as Bermuda, somebody's had a relative in Bermuda.
03:33You need to actually, you can't, until you actually come here, and it doesn't matter what you see on film or what you see on photos, it does not do any justice to what this community has achieved.
03:50It's incredible and it makes me cry on a very regular basis.
03:55Now we've been down to the clock tower, the wall's been fixed. It's going to look so different in just a few weeks time.
04:04Yes, a few short weeks.
04:06Can you tell us anything about your plans for there?
04:10I can't because we're having to do it to cause as minimum disruption as we can.
04:17We've had to get road traffic management in and we're having to do it early hours of the morning.
04:23But it'll just be like Santa, you'll go to sleep on a Saturday night and the clock tower will be as it is.
04:28Then Sunday, bam, this is all going to be up and it is just going to be breathtaking.
04:32Now Lynne, this project has been especially important to you, hasn't it?
04:38Yes it has. It's helped me through my journey through the cancer diagnosis.
04:44I had a biopsy and I came down here and my friend started me knitting.
04:50In the small hours when you were waiting for the results, it was 2 or 3 in the morning, I would wake up and just go and knit a poppet.
04:59Because it would keep me calm and help me.
05:01Then I came in here and started timing with the ladies.
05:05As you got talking you realised a couple of the other ladies were going through exactly the same thing.
05:11So it was a real healing and helping and the support I got from these was unbelievable.
05:18I came out of my surgery and there was a little pack there waiting for me, a pampered pack and I just thought it was amazing.
05:26This project certainly has created a family, hasn't it?
05:30Definitely.
05:31So how does it feel to see your poppies on the net?
05:34I love it. I bought my grandson a little kiddie just to show him what it's all about and I can't wait to see it when it's actually in place.