THEIR handmade poppies are a familiar sight on lapels and on war memorial wreaths during the countdown to Armistice Day.
Every year the ex-service personnel at the Lady Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh make more than five million poppies, and carefully construct over 12,000 wreathes.
But while their work would normally ease up after November, workers at the factory are now bracing themselves for an extra rush, after unveiling two new Christmas poppies.
The single stem poppy and larger Christmas spray are the first modern festive collection from Poppyscotland. It’s thought the last time special Christmas poppies were made widely available to the general public was between the First and Second World Wars, when demand for the poignant tributes was particularly high.
The new festive poppies were designed by two factory workers, Gerry Lindsay, a former Gordon Highlander, from Salvesen in Edinburgh, and former Cameroonian Stewart Ballantyne, of Dalkeith. They showed them off yesterday for the first time along with colleague Dave Hill, a former Royal Highland Fusilier.
A spokesman for Poppyscotland said the new festival poppy collection was in response to public demands for Christmas tributes to fallen loved ones.
The Edinburgh factory is currently working a full speed in the run up to Armistice Day. As well as creating millions of individual poppies, the factory’s 41 workers, all ex-service personnel who are paid a Living Wage for their work, also make Remembrance crosses, long stemmed poppies and dress poppies.
The factory also processes over 25,000 collection tins, and makes and dispatches orders to Poppy Appeal Area Organisers all over Scotland.
Money raised from the Scottish Poppy Appeal and Poppyscotland’s year-round fundraising enables them to deliver support to members of the Armed Forces community in Scotland by providing tailored funding and assistance. The charity also funds services in advice, employment, housing, mental health, mobility and respite.
The Christmas single stem poppy will cost £6.50 and the larger Christmas spray is available for £10, at
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