This year, through our house to house collections and the donations made at our charity soup lunch and tea, the First World War exhibition, and the Remembrance Service, along with the collections from the school, our three pubs, The Lemon Tree Café, The Village Stores and the Parish Council donation, we have raised a fantastic grand total of £2400.

I would like to thank everybody in Stoke St Gregory, Burrowbridge and East Lyng who gave their time and contributed so generously to this cause. In particular, thank you to everybody who helped prepare, set-up, and oversee the exhibition in the Williams Hall. Not only did it put a human touch to the names of our First World War fallen, but it also gave us a wonderful insight to the importance of our local willow industry to the war effort.

Special thanks must also go to Sue Hembrow for taking the lead in organising the village events. Finally, I would like to thank everybody involved in making our Remembrance Ceremony around the flagpole so memorable: The pupils of Stoke St Gregory School and our Cubs, Scouts and Beavers for preparing and creating our ‘Memorial Garden’; John Tyler and Niall Fullers-Walters for officiating at the Remembrance Ceremony; The Willows and Wetland Centre for the loan of the willow hurdles; Veronica Andrews for organising the Soup Lunch (her 20th year of doing so); Gareth Mellors for putting together the material for the exhibition; and lastly, all who helped create the stunning crocheted poppies used throughout the village and exhibition.

On behalf of the Royal British Legion, thank you one and all for your support.

Richard Dobson
Poppy Area Organiser