Lucton House Care Home, in Bournville, has brought residents, visitors and members of the local community together through a handmade poppy display ahead of Remembrance Sunday, while raising donations in support of the Royal British Legion (RBL).
The display was the idea of home Administrator Kirsty Callaghan, who was inspired by similar installations at castles across the UK. Wanting to recreate something on a smaller scale, Kirsty set about designing a display that would encourage residents, relatives, visitors and members of the local community to get involved.
Using recycled plastic bottles, the team created handmade poppies to form a display outside the home. Residents, relatives, visitors and members of the local community have since been invited to contribute their own poppies, with donations collected in support of the Royal British Legion.
The home’s Knit and Knatter group contributed by making many of the poppies themselves. Among those included are purple poppies, which commemorate the animals who have also served and been affected by conflict.
The project has attracted support from the wider community. On 4 November, Lucton House welcomed Paul Smith, a local volunteer for the Royal British Legion, who visited to see the display. Following his visit, Paul arranged for a donation box and additional poppies to be provided, helping the home continue its fundraising efforts.
Speaking about the project, Kirsty Callaghan said: “I wanted to create something that would bring people together and encourage the local community to visit Lucton House. Remembrance holds great significance for so many people, and I felt it was particularly meaningful for a care home to be involved. It has been lovely to see residents, families, visitors and people from the local area all contributing their own poppies. The response has been really encouraging, and it is wonderful to see how the display has created opportunities for people to connect.”
Beyond Remembrance, Lucton House continues to support its local community as a We Can drop-off point for donations to local food banks, encouraging residents, families and neighbours to contribute to charitable causes throughout the year.
