Who made the Ash Peace Day Poppy Wall?

To Mark Peace Day on 19th, July 2018 Ash Parish Council agreed to make the centenary at their annual village fete. Jo Packman, who is Guildford Borough Council (GBC) Community Engagement Advisor & Member of the Ash Parish Council (APC) Events working group, had an idea to create a wall of knitted poppies, one for each person named on the war memorial on Ash Hill Road to mark this occasion. Jo Packman then assembled a team and got to work!

Since its original completion, the wall has now grown to 150, including both WW1, WW2 names. There is also an additional unnamed poppy for the unknown soldier.

Getting the team together

Jo first contacted Mary Brown, a knitting enthusiast to see if she could make a knitting pattern poppies that were to be a foot-wide.  Mary came up with a knitting pattern for the poppy petals and a crochet pattern for the middle. Jo organised the recruitment 30 volunteers to knit and crochet with Cherrie Matthews, making and sewing 57 poppies. Sheena Chadbond made the middles for the majority of them along with Miss Jones and her Ash Manor Crochet club who helped too.

Karen Crookes, from Sunflower Stitches, found out about the project offered to design how the names could be embroidered by children and led the sessions with the 5 local schools in Ash.

Sally Jenkinson from Ash Museum sourced the maps for the display and Paul Harrison from Magic Signs put them together and printed them.

On Wednesday 10 July 2018, 7 volunteers sewed the names on the poppies, (Mary Brown, Cherrie Matthews, Maureen Bassett, Karen Crookes, Cilla Robinson and Jeanette McKernan). The Peace Poppies are now re-displayed every year for the public, to mark remembrance Sunday.

 

Thank you from Jo Packman, GBC Community Engagement Advisor

I would like to thank everyone who welcomed my idea and made it a reality.
Mary Brown, who devised the pattern and knitted poppies
Karen Crookes from  Sunflower Stitches,  wrote out all the names for the schoolchildren to embroider.
Cherrie Matthews who knitted and sewed 57 of the 112 poppies.
Sheena Chadbond, who crocheted the majority of the middle and didn’t stop taking my calls.
Jeanette McKernan, for working out how we could display the poppies, for sewing and displaying.
Jenni Owen from Ash Manor School got her Crochet Club to do middles too.
To the other 30 volunteers who knitted, sewed and crocheted.
The infant and primary schools for allowing us to come in and get their children to sew the names of the men and one woman (see list of names).
Maureen Bassett who knitted, sewed, displayed and made tea!  An all-round great help.
Sally Jenkinson from Ash Museum, put together learning packs for the schoolchildren and sourced the maps to bring the fallen to life.
Paul Harrison from  Magic Signs for putting the map together and for not laughing me out of his shop.
The ladies who sewed the names onto the poppies and helped me hang it. There are too many of you to name individually but I appreciate everything you’ve done.
Ash Parish Council’s Staff for their advice and help putting the display together.
This has been a truly wonderful experience, Once Again, I thank you!