Church illuminated as region begins Remembrance celebrations

High Bradfield’s St Nicholas’ Church has been illuminated by giant red poppies as part of a memorial trail which sees the church’s war graves mark the cornerstones of a walkway made up of memories of lost loved ones that have been written on plaques.

Prior to the switch-on each evening this week until Sunday, red search lights will light up the sky for 20 minutes to signal the start of the illumination, which has been designed by Sue Hague of Dungworth-based Pinkdotinc Design. It will raise money for Help For Heroes, the Royal British Legion and the church.

Project officer Richard Godley said: “The finished installation is visible for miles around.

“We’re using state-of-the-art technology to allow local people to remember loved ones lost in the two devastating world wars.”

Preparations are taking place across the region ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

One Barnsley veteran will join more than 100 representative of Blind Veterans UK, which this year celebrates its 100 years of service to vision impaired ex-Service men and women, in marching to the Cenotaph.

Donald Hurst, 88, served in the Royal Army Service Corps from 1945 until 1948 in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. He started losing his sight in 2002, and was later diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.

He said: “Remembrance to me means paying respect to the thousands upon thousands who didn’t come back from the First and Second World War and it’s an incredible honour to be able to do that with Blind Veterans UK.”