Town knitted together by Poppy tribute
A work of art to commemorate Chesterfield servicepersons killed in World War One has been unveiled at the Crooked Spire.
Chesterfield Parish Church has partnered with the Chesterfield branch of the Royal British Legion to commemorate the 1,574 soldiers who fell in the 1914 -18 conflict.
To mark the centenary of the end of the war, local volunteers from across the community have knitted an individual poppy for each serviceperson from the town who gave their life. The 1,574 poppies have now been pieced together to create a magnificent handcrafted installation, hanging in the medieval church.
The cascade of flowers was formally blessed and opened by Revd Patrick Coleman, vicar of Chesterfield, on Saturday with Councillor Maureen Davenport, mayor of Chesterfield, in attendance.
Revd Patrick Coleman, speaking at the opening ceremony said:-
“This display is a important remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice made by over 1,500 people from this town- around one in seventy of the local population at the time.
“It also gives us today the opportunity to pledge to redouble our resolve to pray and work for peace, so that this disastrous loss of life isn’t repeated.
“I thank all the volunteers – aged from 18 months to over 90 – for creating this poignant piece of art.”
