Marking this year’s Remembrance Day, a beautiful display of hand-made poppies was unveiled at Hill’s popular Oxford development, Mosaics.
Children from Barton Park Primary School, alongside Headteacher Bryony McCraw, were joined by Lord Mayor of Oxford, Mark Lygo, Royal British Legion’s Oxfordshire County Chair, Peter Eldridge also joined by Ann Cox of the Headington Poppy Appeal and Regional Director for The Hill Group, Ryan Harris, to commemorate all those who have served and sacrificed their lives.
Ahead of the planting event, a delightful collection of poppies were crafted by 45 students from Barton Park Primary School as part of an exciting ‘poppy workshop’ that took place at school.
More than 100 poppies were made from recycled plastic bottles, hand-painted by all the children and secured to sturdy garden canes before being carefully planted around the edge of the picturesque Bayswater Brook, central to the Mosaics development. A symbol synonymous with hope and peace, this beautiful display of hand-made poppies now proudly resides at Hill’s development, creating a fitting tribute to all our fallen heroes.
Viola (age 4), Ebon (age 5), Bracken (age 5), Tayo (age 6) and Levin (age 8) were invited to go along to the development with Head Teacher Bryony McCraw to help plant the display of hand-made poppies at a chosen area by The Bayswater Brook. All of the school children thoroughly enjoyed learning about the meaning of Remembrance Day, and they were very proud to show off their creative talent to the local residents at Mosaics and the wider community.
Ryan Harris, Regional Director at Hill, said: “Remembrance Day is such an important anniversary to honour, and we are extremely grateful to have been able to mark this at our Mosaics development. Special thanks go to all the children at Barton Park Primary School for making such a wonderful display of poppies and creating a place where our residents can pay respect to all those who sacrificed their lives for ours.
“Special thanks goes to Lord Mayor of Oxford, Mark Lygo and our friends from the Royal British Legion for coming along to commemorate this special occasion. Creating communities that stand the test of time is something we are very passionate about when designing new homes, and this special event has given us a great way to engage with the local Oxfordshire community.”
Bryony McCraw, Headteacher at Barton Park Primary School, said: “This has been such a lovely and thought-provoking event for all of our children to get involved with, and they have all worked really hard to make a lovely collection of poppies for Hill’s Remembrance Day display at Mosaics.
“The children have been able to learn many things from being a part of this event – the importance of using recycled materials to create something new alongside the meaning of Armistice Day and what a poppy symbolises, as well as supporting their learning around our value of the term respect.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this special occasion and thank all the team at Hill for inviting Barton Park Primary School to be involved.”
Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Mark Lygo, said: “As Lord Mayor of Oxford, it has been an honour to be invited to Hill’s Mosaics development alongside the staff and children from Barton Park Primary School. I’d like to thank all of the school children for their hard work making these wonderful poppies.
“Originally known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day commemorates the signing of the peace agreement that ended World War I at 11.00am on 11 November 1918. It is a time to remember and honour the memory of those who served, are currently serving, and those we have lost to the cause. Lest We Forget.”
As a 5-star award-winning housebuilder, Hill is passionate about creating exceptional homes and sustainable communities, where local residents can come together to create unified neighbourhoods with a strong sense of community spirit.
Mosaics enjoys a prime position just a few miles away from Oxford’s vibrant city centre, where a stunning selection of four-bedroom homes and five-bedroom detached villas have been carefully created to blend effortlessly with the local area unique natural surroundings.