Appledore poppy anchor is a unique Remembrance tribute

Appledore has a unique tribute to the fallen for Remembrance Day which is now in place again this year with the help of the local community. The old slipway anchor opposite the Seagate Hotel is festooned with knitted poppies, poppies that have been recycled for some time.
One of the people behind this is effort is local Caroline Shoebridge.
She said: "It dates back to 2014 when we decided to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. We asked for poppies to be made, knitted, crocheted … even made out of material or foil, it didn’t matter … as long as we had one for every name on the Appledore war memorial. We needed 104 but I think nearly 5,000 turned up!
"It was an incredible sight and very moving when they all arrived. They were then fashioned into a waterfall of red petals at St Mary’s Church, a little like the famous Tower of London display but obviously ‘slightly’ smaller in scale."
Since 2019, the poppies have been adapted into a covering for the anchor with Caroline and fellow volunteers moulding chicken wire around it and threading on the symbols of remembrance. But of course, the weather and other factors have seen the poppies deteriorate over the years.
Quite a few were damaged beyond repair when the initial display at the church was taken down, but the remaining were utilised around the town time and time again.
Caroline added: "It was decided that they should be left in place until after Christmas and on into the New Year as they are so pretty and are blended in with the festive lights. They were placed there in 2019 for the first time because on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the anchor seemed so fitting a tribute to that event and Appledore has such a seafaring background."
There are no plans to call for any more to be made, but Caroline did mention that so many have had to be thrown away because of the deposits left by pigeons and seagulls. After the first couple of years and attempts to wash them, more may be needed if the tradition is going to continue.
"Maybe there could be another appeal to replace those that have been lost over the years," said Caroline.
"We are left with just enough to cover the anchor and the village now looks for it. Let’s see what happens over the next year or so. The weather and the birds are factors that can change things."