Stunning poppy display for armistice and Wickersley library
Local craft groups have banded together to create an amazing poppy cascade display at Wickersley library to commemorate armistice day.
The poppies appear to flow out the window of the library in a touching tribute to those killed in war, ahead of Remembrance Sunday on 8 November.
The piece is a collaboration between a local knitting and crochet group, as well as Wickersley parish council and a children’s craft group.
Individual poppies have been hand-made and fastened to a green grass-like netting to mimic a waterfall pouring from the building.
Sue Bell, a member of both craft groups involved, explained that the display was a great way to get local people involved with remembrance.
She said: “Everybody has contributed and we’ve done it together, that’s been the good thing.
“The parish council came up with the idea for the net and everybody just joined in and made what they wanted.”
The display was battered by wind and rain when storms hit Rotherham two weeks ago, with poppies blown from the net.
Ms Bell said: “We got two storms a few days after we put it out - I think we had one or two casualties but they got put back on.”
Group members expressed the importance of the display to the community, and in helping to commemorate such an important cause.
Joan Davis, a member of the knitting group, said: “It’s important that we remember, and there was nothing here in this part of Wickersley.
“It was good to have something that people would see as they were going past.”
Ms Bell added: “I think it’s really important that we keep it alive, especially in the world as it is today. We don’t want a repeat of what happened.”
Amy Naylor, deputy clerk of Wickersley parish council, said how nice it was to bring the community together like they had.
She said: “It’s just an extension of the stuff we were doing before with the poppies around the village, but we wanted to improve what we were doing.
“Because of the location we have a lot of children asking their parents about it, so it’s keeping it alive.
“It’s quite nice to hear that conversation being had.”