In a touching tribute to fallen soldiers in the run-up to Remembrance Day, more than a thousand schoolchildren from Royston and district gathered to form a giant human poppy in the grounds of Meridian School.
Organisers had just 45 minutes to arrange 1,260 pupils and 50 adults sporting different coloured T-shirts representing shades of the poppy as a drone camera captured aerial shots of the impressive formation.
Lorraine MacLeod from the Royston Poppy Appeal team said: “It has been an amazing experience.
“It has been very stressful but I have loved every minute of it.
“A massive thank you should go to all of the schools, teachers, parents, carers, and those that escorted the children and of course the children themselves – they were so well behaved and not a single one needed to use the toilet! They should be so proud of what they have achieved.
“Thanks also to helpers from the poppy team – Lynne Webb, Alison Clarke, Emma Collicott and thanks to David Atkins from Meridian for allowing us to host it at the school.
“Also, a massive thanks to Chris from Aerial Images UK who has spent a lot of his time free of charge with the aerial photos, Amy Murphy Photography for the ground photos, Loony Balloony for filling our balloons, Richmonds Coaches for transporting the village schools and Hales Printers for printing the pictures.”
The aim of the human poppy was to raise awareness of the Royston Poppy Appeal.
Lorraine, who started volunteering for the appeal three years ago after seeing an appeal in the Crow, said: “There are only a handful of us that keep it going, we do not want to lose it, and it was a fun way to get the children of Royston involved and for the next generation to keep it going.
“The town has come together and it is a really nice community event for such an important cause.”
The main aerial shot will be available to purchase for £1 from schools across Royston.
Anyone else who would like a copy will be able to buy it through the Royston Poppy Appeal in a few weeks time.
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