Giant poppy in meadows for Legion appeal

A GIANT commemorative poppy has been painted on the grass in Mill Meadows in Henley to mark this year’s Poppy Appeal.

The poppy is about 100ft wide and 90ft tall so it is best seen from the air.

The outline was drawn by a pre-programmed robot and then filled in by hand using a backpack sprayer.

The initiative follows the giant King’s cypher that was painted in the meadows to mark the coronation of Charles III in May.

Richard Pinches, co-organiser of the Henley Poppy Appeal, first presented the idea to the town council’s events sub-committee last month.

He said: “The council asked me to take a picture of the King’s cypher with my drone for the coronation and I asked the people who were doing it if they could come back for the Poppy Appeal and they were very happy to. They spent three and a half hours on Friday doing it.”

The poppy was painted by Simon Hughes, of Origin Amenity Solutions, and Danny Perkins, contracts manager from Groundtel.

Mr Pinches said: “I thought it was a great idea to emblazon the poppy on Mill Meadows to raise awareness of the appeal.”

Meanwhile, two special banners are being hung on Henley town hall for Remembrance.

The 4ft long banners were designed by Warren Kerley and his team at Tank2Create, a graphic design company based at the River & Rowing Museum.

Each one is red, white and black and features the phrase “Lest we forget” alongside the dates of the First and Second World Wars and a commemorative poppy.

Beneath is a silhouette of a soldier superimposed on a field of red poppies.

The banners also feature a soldier hidden among the dates and the name “Henley” alongside a river illustration.

Mr Kerley, who has been a graphic designer for more than 40 years, came up with the idea for the banners with designers Steve Smith and Harley Sawdling.

He said he was conscious that the design needed to fit in with the surroundings.

“It needed to feel part of Henley as well as be about the fallen heroes,” said Mr Kerley. “It’s quite big so it’s striking.”