A project to create a poignant ‘Poppy Walk’ of Remembrance in Milford Haven using the vast number of wreaths laid at the town’s war memorial has been completed.
The people of Milford Haven came out in their hundreds to honour those who have given the ultimate sacrifice during wars at the annual Remembrance Service on Sunday.
The fact that the service continues to be so well attended is a source of pride for the town but also means that the sheer volume of wreaths can cover the names of those remembered on the memorial.
Chris Powles, a local veteran and member of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Youth Service approached Milford Haven Town Council to discuss the idea of creating a ‘Poppy Walk’ on Hamilton Terrace.
The idea was to place the wreaths between the Royal British Legion and the war memorial to create both a striking and poignant visual display while also encouraging more people to read the notes left on each wreath.
With the support of the Town Council and the Milford Haven Branch of the Royal British Legion the Poppy Walk was approved, with wreaths being fixed to the railing overlooking the Haven waterway.
Pembrokeshire Youth Service has a number of ex-service personnel with experience of operational tours in Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland who took part in the project working alongside young people from Milford Haven School on Monday 14th November.
Each young person teamed up with a former soldier to carry out the work tasks and ask questions/learn about their time in the forces and what makes Remembrance Day such an important time of the year for them.
Chris Powles, Targeted Youth Team Manager and former Royal Engineer, said: “We’ve already received some really positive feedback from members of the public who were walking past whilst we were carrying out the work to say that they had stopped and read each wreath and that the visual impact was quite powerful – so it has turned out exactly as I had hoped.”
It is planned that this will become an annual display if the public consensus is as positive as the initial feedback.
