Poppy Cascade Brings Community Together for Remembrance

A striking cascade of handmade poppies is flowing from the clock tower of St Mary’s, Radcliffe, as the church and local community prepare to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Volunteers from Radcliffe Parish Church have joined forces with Radcliffe Litter Pickers to create the 14-metre-long display, which has been ten months in the making.

Made from the ends of recycled plastic bottles, hundreds of poppies have been brought together to form a cascade from the tower into the churchyard. Individual poppies bearing the names of soldiers listed on the church’s Roll of Honour have also been included.

The tribute remembers nine soldiers connected with St Mary’s who died during military service, six during the First World War and three during the Second World War. A cross of poppies has been placed on each of their graves.

The project is part of a wider community effort to remember local servicemen and women, with volunteers from groups including Radcliffe Litter Pickers, Growing Radcliffe and Radcliffe Rotary Club working together on Remembrance projects across the area in recent years.

The Revd Marie Pattison, Rector of St Mary’s, said:

“It’s a lovely way to connect with the community. We’ve worked closely with our friends the Radcliffe Litter Pickers to do this. It’s been wonderful to see the response from dog walkers in person and people on social media. The church is really treasured by the community.”

The Grade I-listed church, which dates back to the 14th century and stands beside Close Park, has also been welcoming people through its doors for a number of recent heritage and community events. Marie explains:

“We’ve recently had a few days where people have come in to enjoy art and heritage. Our heritage open day focused on the stories of the soldiers who rest in our graveyard. It was great to chat with people who came to look and eat the delicious cake at our cafe.”

St Mary’s also welcomed artists as part of Bury Arts Festival, alongside a blessing of the animals. Marie added:

“We recently hosted artists as part of Bury Arts Festival who put on a fantastic day. I learned quite a bit about our stained glass. We had a blessing of the animals at the same time and lots of people and dogs had their portraits sketched.”

Displays from the church’s recent heritage weekend, telling the stories of local war heroes, will be available to see around Remembrance Sunday.