Fields and boxes of Poppies

On Tuesday, I was honoured to be present at this year's launch of the local Royal British Legion's poppy collection at the Old Gaol. Watch out for the picture in this week's paper hopefully. Meanwhile it good to meet many people who have been collecting for years and who proudly display their poppies in remembrance of all those injured and killed as a consequence of war. Please be sure to make your donation to this worthy cause.

This of course is a very special year: it is (as everyone must know by now) a 100 years since the armistice was declared at the end of the First World War in 1918. It was a terrible war, as all wars are of course. My grandfather, who lost his older brother, would never talk about his experiences of the war. I know that many people reading this will have similar connections to this conflict.

May we all use our memories and reflections on these last 100 years and redouble our efforts to continue to build a peaceful and harmonious world where our differences are resolved without resorting violence, harm and death. We all have a part to play in this, I believe.