Volunteers carve 100ft poppies onto a beach in a poignant tribute to war dead ahead of Remembrance Day

SWNS 2022-11-07

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Volunteers carved 100ft poppies onto a beach in a poignant tribute to the fallen ahead of Remembrance Day. Retired GP and beach artist Claire Eason led a team of volunteers who used garden rakes to create the poppies beneath a dove of peace. The group spent four hours painstakingly drawing the huge flowers onto the sand at Beadnell Bay in Northumberland before the tide washed them away. In a heartwarming tribute under the poppies were placed 104 flags designed by pupils at two local primary schools. Each of the ‘poppy flags’ represented a year since the end of the First World War in 1918. The poppies were created on Sunday, ahead of this weekend’s Remembrance Day on November 11. Claire, 58, said: “Even though it was a wet day when we did it, we had lots of people come and get involved. “We were so lucky. “We had a little weather window at exactly the right time, and it all came together amazingly by sheer luck. “The design only lasts until the next high tide, but it is all about enjoying the experience and taking some pictures which, you have forever. “It’s also very poignant because the sense of things being impermanent reflect how fragile life is. “It’s that sense of appreciating what we have now and what new opportunities the new tide brings. “The thing that has been special about this project it is involving youngsters and passing on the message of Remembrance. “It’s never more important than this year where Europe has potential war hanging over it with the conflict in Ukraine. “It’s a very timely reminder that conflict is never far away, and we should really value peace.” The poppy design was first mapped out by Claire on her computer. She then used builder string and sticks to form a grid on the beach to bring her design to life.

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