Oldham honours Remembrance Sunday with special Poppy road markings

Date published: 04 November 2020


As Oldham prepares to commemorate Remembrance Sunday a little differently this year, Oldham Council has marked its roads with poppies as a small gesture to those who have given their lives for our freedom today.

With the borough’s usual Remembrance events cancelled because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the council has been looking at new ways to honour the annual occasion, including a pre-recorded service that is due to be streamed online this upcoming Sunday.

These road markings, kindly designed by Highways contractor Kays Traffic Management free of charge, will go alongside these plans and will be located on West Street adjacent to Oldham Civic Centre which will also display a weeklong projection of poppies from Wednesday.

The design features the wording ‘Lest we forget’ underneath the poppy and will act as a small reminder for years to come of those who have died in conflicts around the globe.

Leader of Oldham Council, Councillor Sean Fielding said: “It’s truly saddening that we can’t come together in our usual way to remember those who have lost their lives in war, and I fully share the frustration of our residents.

“That is why he have been working hard to ensure everyone can still honour the occasion in some way, including our pre-recorded service online and the poppy projection on our Civic Centre.

“These poignant road works add to our marks of respect this year and I want to personally thank Kays for their generosity in offering to work with us on this for free.

“This is another fantastic example of some of the great kindness we’ve seen during this pandemic and it is with that I’d like to take this opportunity to urge you all to continue with your unwavering support for the Royal British Legion.

“Due to today’s circumstances, their fundraising efforts have been heavily affected so if you can spare anything to support their excellent cause, please do so via their website.”

For various ways on how you can make a donation to the Poppy Appeal, including how you can access various resources, visit  www.britishlegion.org.uk

Shaun Hargreaves, Commercial Director at KAYS, added: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support as a way of commemorating our war heroes.

“We hope that the road poppies will provide a reminder that although we cannot stand together in remembrance in person this year, we will never forget the sacrifice made by the brave men and women for our freedom.

"We're really proud to have found a way to commemorate Remembrance Sunday in a safe and special way and they are a sign that we have all come through challenging times before and will get through them again through hope and perseverance." 

Residents in Oldham are being urged to commemorate Remembrance safely from home this year, with a pre-recorded service on the council’s website due to be streamed from 10.50am on Remembrance Sunday. – www.oldham.gov.uk/RemembranceSunday 

The pre-recorded service will feature a number of sequences from across the borough, including the laying of wreaths across Oldham’s district memorials and a message from the Mayor of Oldham.

People are still welcome to visit their local war memorial to pay their respects, but we ask that they visit at a different time to their usual 11am service if they wish to lay their poppies and wreaths on the day.   

This is to ensure we can protect everyone’s safety and prevent crowds from gathering. 

For more information visit www.oldham.gov.uk/RemembranceSunday