Children’s poppy and musical tribute to First World War fallen

Pupils have been creating a Festival of Remembrance to mark the 100^th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.

The youngsters, who attend Heaton Park Primary School in Prestwich, will also be the first to sing a new anthem of remembrance which one day will be sung by schools across the whole country.

The Festival of Remembrance takes place on Friday 7 November in the Longfield Suite at Prestwich. The launch event will include a reading for Prestwich men lost in the First World War, using the book “The Prestwich Roll of Honour 1914–1918” written by local historian David Galloway.

The Heaton Park pupils will place poppies they have made on a wall of remembrance, one poppy as each name is read. The rest of the poppies will be used to make displays for the event; the displays will then be placed in Prestwich library for the duration of the War commemorations.

Sarah Dennis, the British Legion’s veterans sweetheart, will then lead he children in singing “I Will Remember You”. This will be the first time this specially written song will be sung on a tour of Remembrance. Sarah will be teaching the song to school children across the land, with the aim of having them all singing it in unison at 11am on 11 November 2018.

Jean Swanson of Bury Council’s library service will be continuing the project with schools in the Bury area making poppies, reading stories, poems and other activities as part of the festival of remembrance.

Staff at Prestwich Library will be working together to offer a programme of events throughout the duration of the commemorations.

The project has been jointly funded by the Library service and Shiny Music.

ENDS

Press release issued: 3 November 2014.

Media opportunity: Journalists will be welcome to attend the Festival of Remembrance launch event - Friday 7 November, at the Longfield Suite in Prestwich, from 1.30pm to 3pm.