Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

A hand-knitted poppy cascade made by volunteers at the Bognor Regis RAFA Club inspired awe and delight when it was unveiled yesterday afternoon (November 10).

The cascade, which features hundreds of handmade poppies attached to a piece of camouflage netting donated by RAF Odiham, will be displayed outside the branch throughout the period of November.

RAFA club member Carol Penny said yesterday’s unveiling was ‘amazing’: “We had so much good feedback. People were stopping outside the RAFA branch, and saying they didn’t even realise we were there before. They were taking photos of the cascade, and they were really enthusiastic about the whole thing. I can’t tell you how generous people have been with their time.”

"It’s nice because I saw on the news that people aren’t really taking Poppy Day to their hearts this year, but people in Bognor are amazing."

Carol Spain and Carol Penny with the hand-made poppy cascade over the balcony of the RAFA Waterloo Square facility. Pic S Robards SR2211102

The good news comes after the poppy appeal fell short of its fundraising targets over the last two years due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impossibility of in-person donations.

But the cascade, Mrs Penny said, was such a success because it seemed to capture people’s imaginations: “It was just the size of it,” she said. “And all the work that went into making it. It was also on a camouflage net, so it reflects what the RAFA club is all about.”

With poppies coming from across the community, Mrs Penny said the cascade represents a town-wide effort, one she is particularly proud of: “We’ve had poppies made by local ukulele groups, we’ve had local Women’s Institutes. It hasn’t just been the RAF Association, it’s a real community effort.”

Bognor RAFA club's poppy cascade pays tribute to troops

Read more

Councillors call for 'urgent' review of Bognor ice rink relocation in open letter