Marking the Armistice centenary

The flowers were painted on pebbles by residents in Solihull, while in Surbiton they were made from painted plastic bottles. The poppies were created to help mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The charity, which cares for ex-servicemen and women and their partners living with disability or dementia, was founded in 1916 to look after severely injured young men returning from the battlegrounds of the First World War.

The decision to paint poppies on pebbles in Solihull was made to tie-in with film director Danny Boyle’s Pages of the Sea project, which will see portraits of people who served in the 1914-1918 conflict drawn on the sand at selected beaches, before being washed away by the sea.

Charlie Wilson, activities and volunteers manager at the home in Solihull, says: “It wasn’t practical to get our residents to one of the Pages of the Sea beaches, so we painted these pebbles in a bid to bring the project to the home. The residents were really keen to take part and use this as a way to mark a special Armistice Day. It’s a lovely idea.”

At the Home in Surbiton, a ‘memory wall’ has also been created which features every resident who has lived at the home in Surbiton but has passed away.

Raquel Pena Aristizabal, activities and volunteers manager at the home in Surbiton, says: “We wanted to mark the Armistice centenary and remember members of our Armed Forces who lost their lives in the line of duty. But we are also remembering friends who lived with us here in Surbiton that are sadly no longer with us. Residents and members of staff enjoyed helping make the memory wall.”

First World War poetry has also been read aloud at the homes, while residents have watched documentaries on the 1914-1918 conflict.

On 11 November, representatives from both homes attended the local remembrance services and separate services took place at the homes which will included a two-minute silence.

Residents from Surbiton also attending the Cenotaph Parade in Whitehall.