With restrictions around the UK on social distancing and large gatherings, this hasn’t stopped ARCH and friends finding a new and innovative way to mark the annual Remembrance event.

Many thanks to a hardy bunch of volunteers who braved the wet and cold to display the 104 hand-made poppies onto Lamp posts across Canford Heath, also to the Mayor of Poole Marion Le Poidevin who visited the following day and congratulated the group for their efforts.

The Mayor was not only impressed with the poppies, but also with the Pilots Trail which was displayed at the same time. Photos of Pilots that roads on Canford Heath are named after were placed along Adastral Road mainly on lamp posts below the poppies, or prominently on the actual road that shares the name of the Pilot. The poignancy of the images of the pilots next to the poppies was commented on by the Mayor and the members of ARCH.

A great half term activity to go on a hunt for them. You can download a copy of the trail from our website www.canfordheathnetwork.org/remember or hard copies are available from Lounge One, the Pilot Pub or the Craft Locker.

Once you have done the trail, email Frances at the email address on the trail form so she can send you a Certificate of Completion. 

Make sure you also stop at the Pilot Pub to look at all the information on display in their windows about the Fighter Pilots. 

Please do email us your comments and photos as they could form a part of the ongoing history of Canford Heath.

Don’t forget you can still buy a knitted poppy from Chester Pearce, The Craft Locker and the Pilot Pub. 

All proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion.

Click Here to see a selection of the poppies and the people they remember.

Click Here to see some images posted on Facebook by Stacey- Louise Bottomley to remember her father Philip who was killed by a sniper on Mount Igman in Bosnia on Wednesday 27th July 1994 – he was just 26.

Click Here to see the report in the Echo

Click Here to see Caroline and Jess Boyd making poppies very quickly!

As you can see from the picture of a restrained poppy wrapped around a lamp post, we poppies were all flapping about in the strong wind and needed help! – Thankyou Julie, Jackie and their husbands Dan & Gordon for saving us.