Stunning Poppy Drape created with 10,000 crochet poppies unveiled in Southport Remembrance Gardens
Photos by Andrew Brown

PEOPLE have been wowed by a stunning Poppy Drape in Southport Town centre which has been created with 10,000 knitted crochet poppies made by volunteers over several months.

The astonishing 12 metre by 2 metre installation has been unveiled in the Remembrance Gardens on Lord Street.

It has been lovingly made by volunteer yarn bombers from the Southport Hookers group, who have worked closely with Southport Royal British Legion.

Red poppies have been created to honour the people who have lost their lives in war with purple poppies to honour the many animals that also died in conflict.

They have also created crochet poppies to surround the planters in the gardens, as well as Remembrance themed postbox toppers around Southport.

The Poppy Drape was installed overnight on:- Friday, and was unveiled by Sefton Council Leader Cllr Marion Atkinson following the 2024 Poppy Appeal launch at Southport Town Hall on Saturday.

Since then, the artwork has been admired by thousands of visitors to Southport, ahead of the Remembrance commemorations in Southport this November.

The Southport Hookers were founded just over a year ago.

Since then they have worked hard tirelessly to create beautiful crochet postbox toppers across Southport. They also created special crochet artwork which was on display at the 100th Anniversary Southport Flower Show this August.

In April they were honoured with an award at the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards at The Grand Southport as a Finalist in the Sefton Arts Award, sponsored by Fitton Estates.

Southport Hookers founder Suzanne Urquhart said:- "We are really pleased with how it has turned out. We created 3 postbox toppers for Remembrance Day last year which had 3 individual soldiers on and a few poppies and this year we thought we would go bigger and better. We looked at what other Towns were doing for Remembrance Day and saw some of the wonderful poppy drapes that have been created and thought we can recreate this for Southport. We spoke to Sarah McEntee from Southport Royal British Legion earlier on in the year and asked if we could create a large poppy drape, whether we could showcase it for Remembrance Day this year and she was very excited about this idea. We estimated that we would need 10,000 poppies to create this drape and we put an appeal out to Southport for locals to create knitted or crochet poppies for our project. We have been overwhelmed with the response we have had. Southport Library agreed to act as a drop-off point and we collected the poppies from there. What a fabulous community spirit we have here in Southport. Each poppy has been lovingly made and are all different which we think adds to the beautiful display. The Southport Hookers have spent the last 8 weeks busy sewing the poppies to a 12m x 2m cargo net and we are pleased with how it has turned out. We want to say a huge thank you to every single person that has created poppies for this project and for all of the Southport Hookers for taking their spare time to help to create it. We also want to thank Southport Royal British Legion for all of their help and support with this project and for the installation. We have also created new postbox toppers using these poppies which you will be able to see around Southport now. We hope everyone enjoys the display.”

Southport Royal British Legion Chair Major Nick McEntee said:- "About 9 months ago the incredible Southport Hookers came to us with an idea. We loved it. They have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, in addition to creating their amazing postbox toppers, to create this mind blowing Poppy Drape. Our job was to find a way to hang it. Using some Army and Navy engineering and rigging skills, plus some A-Level DT wisdom from:- 1996 we found a solution. The poppies now look like they are cascading from the sky. On:- Friday, it was lovely to watch people standing and reflecting as they looked at the installation. Please do go and spend some time admiring it, taking some time out with your own thoughts. Lest We Forget.”

Winter preparedness... Strengthening our services to support patients and staff

AS the darker nights settle in, winter is fast approaching, and with it, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is announcing robust plans to deal with the anticipated rise in demand for NHS and Ambulance Services. These will ensure it continues to deliver high-quality care while supporting patients and staff during this peak period.

In the past year, the service has welcomed over 280 new staff members to the Paramedic Emergency Service, Patient Transport Service, and NHS 111 service. These additional recruits strengthen NWAS's capacity to provide timely and appropriate care to those who need it. In addition, since February, 32 new emergency vehicles have been added to the fleet, bringing the total up to 553 Ambulances. All these vehicles will be available to respond to patients across the North West this winter.

Frontline staff are being supported, too. To help them manage the increased demand, volunteers will be deployed to assist with staff welfare; offering refreshments at hospitals during peak times and helping to move equipment, staff, and vehicles around the Region.

Over the last 12 months, NWAS has remained 1 of the top performing Ambulance trusts in the country. Fewer patients have experienced long delays, and they continue to work closely with local hospitals to reduce handover times, freeing up crews and Ambulances to respond to new emergencies.

Dan Ainsworth, Director of Operations, emphasised:- "We're here for you this winter, as always, and our comprehensive plans will help us to maintain the high-quality care you expect. Winter brings unique challenges and increased demand, but we're as prepared as possible. To help us help you, consider getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines if you haven't already, keep your medicines cabinets stocked up, order repeat prescriptions in advance, make use of local pharmacies, and visit 111.nhs.uk for advice on non-urgent conditions.”