Poppy display axed as UK council shut down Remembrance Day plan | UK | News
The Memorial Day show was canceled due to flags being hung on lamp posts. The Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group has previously decorated lampposts and street signs in Barnsley town with wooden poppies. Each of the 350 poppies will bear the name of a soldier commemorated on Hoyland’s war memorial.
But the group said it was “with regret” that the 2025 exhibition had been canceled after seeking advice from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council due to “what has occurred in relation to the installation of flags on lampposts”. The council reportedly introduced a number of “onerous” conditions, including placing the poppies above head height on sign posts outside the road but not allowing the group to lean ladders against the posts for installation.
It was also stated that poppies cannot be attached to road signs and must be removed within five days after Memorial Day. The Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group said they were “really discouraged” that the number of poppies they could display had been “significantly reduced”.
They said: “We can’t name one and put the other, we feel that would be disrespectful to the purpose of these ferrets.
“Given all of the above, it is truly regrettable that the group will not be able to install wooden poppies along the parade route and around Hoyland this year in 2025.
“We hope the public understands the position we have found ourselves in this year, and we ask that you continue to support us by attending this year’s parade.
“We will be covering the issue over the next 12 months, meeting with the council to determine whether anything should change and keeping those who follow and support the work we do informed as things progress.”
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council said it was “offering support to community groups to ensure the tributes are delivered safely and appropriately”.
The local authority said: “We have seen reports in local Facebook groups that we have stopped poppies being placed on street lamps. This is not true.
“We value the dedication of groups honoring our fallen heroes and fully support respectful poppy displays at lampposts.
“There may be a change in the process of how these are placed, but we have offered support to community groups to ensure the tributes are delivered safely and appropriately.
“A license is required to install any item on a street light. This is valid throughout the borough and is in place to protect everyone’s safety.
“The increase in unlicensed add-ons has led to recent updates to the guides, but our commitment to recall remains strong.”
The council has previously supported the commemoration group, including funding a flagpole and benches on which to display a commemorative flag to mark 100 years since the town’s monument was erected.
