Rotary clubs in Nottinghamshire have joined with the Royal British Legion to sell 100,000 specially knitted poppies, created to commemorate the men from the county who were killed in the First World War.
Groups and individuals from all over the county took up the challenge from BBC Radio Nottingham to create 11,000 poppies – Â one poppy for each soldier killed – and the public responded by producing over 100,000.
Since then 200 Rotarians and their friends from 16 Rotary clubs have carried out 480 two hour collecting slots in Nottingham’s shopping malls selling Royal British Legion merchandise plus the 100,000 knitted poppies. They will continue to man the stands in the run up to Remembrance Sunday until they are all sold. They will also be at the City of Nottingham Contemporary Art gallery where an exhibition of thousands of poppies scattered across the floor has been created including one designed by Nottingham fashion designer Sir Paul Smith. So far visitors have donated over ÂŁ17,000.
The Royal British Legion has given special Rotary wreaths to each club involved in the collections which will be laid by Rotarians at various Remembrance Day ceremonies in Nottinghamshire.
Val Leivers, who coordinates the operation said: “Last year Rotarians in Nottingham raised £38,500 and we expect to exceed that figure in this special centenary year. There are still a few days left until Remembrance Sunday and we expect every one of the knitted poppies to be sold.”
Photo courtesy of the Nottingham Evening Post
Published: 5th November 2014
