Mayor of Penzance, Cllr Nicole Broadhurst, will be amongst the first to lay a wreath on the Penzance to London train service as part of ‘Poppies to Paddington’.
Swathes of poppy wreaths will be placed on Great Western Railway trains and carried to London Paddington station from across the country on Remembrance Day. The special ‘Poppies to Paddington’ operation will involve nine train services and more than 60 stations covering the length and breadth of the Great Western network.
With many Remembrance events across the Duchy and in the capital suspended because of the pandemic, GWR and The Veterans Charity have been coordinating with organisations including the Royal British Legion and The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) to place wreaths on board early-morning services heading to the capital on November 11th – more than 100 wreaths are expected to be taken to London.
“It is so important that we remember those who fought for our freedoms” said Councillor Nicole Broadhurst, Mayor of Penzance.
“Poppies to Paddington is a wonderfully inventive way for us to mark this important day and, with Penzance being at the start of the journey, the town’s wreath will be one of the first to be laid.”
The Mayor will be joining the Lord Lieutenant for Cornwall and representatives of Armed Forces charities at Penzance Station ahead of the train’s departure at 04:58am on Wednesday 11th November (strict social distancing will be observed).
On arrival at Paddington, the wreaths will be placed at the station’s iconic war memorial, on Platform 1, in time for the Remembrance Day service at 11:00am.
The arrival of the Poppies, and the Remembrance service, will be broadcast live on GWR’s Facebook page and we encourage people to #RememberFromHome.