MEMBERS of Emmanuel Church planted poppies of peace and remembrance on Easter Sunday with the hope that they will bloom in August, the 100-year commemoration of the declaration of the First World War.

United Reformed Churches, along with churches from other denominations, have been planting both red and white poppy seeds throughout Holy Week.

Red poppies have been used since just after the First World War as a symbol of remembrance for those who have died in war, whilst white poppies have come to be a symbol for peace and an end to all wars.

John Ellis, moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, who visited Emmanuel Church on Easter Sunday, said: “The planting of both white and red poppy seeds offers an opportunity for members of the congregation to join together to remember actively those who lost their lives during the First World War, whilst contemplating Christ’s message of peace and justice.”